The issue of same-sex marriage has been a subject of much debate in the United States for several decades now. If you are part of a same-sex couple, or just a supporter of the LGBTQ community, you are undoubtedly aware of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, or SCOTUS, in Obergefell v. Hodges which finally put the issue to rest by declaring state bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. Though you may have already realized many of the more obvious ways in which … [Read more...] about Same-Sex Marriage Ruling May Be Cause to Revise Your Estate Plan

In the United States, over 60 percent of all households include at least one pet. Collectively, we own over 160 million pets in the U.S.; although, if you ask a pet lover they will tell you they don’t “own” their pet. Instead, their pet is considered a non-human member of the family. If you are among the millions of pet lovers in the U.S. you undoubtedly want to protect your non-human family members in the event of your death or incapacity. The way to do that is to include your non-human family … [Read more...] about Protecting Your Non-Human Family Members in Your Estate Plan

Estate Planning Basics in Missouri from Charlie Amen Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Choices allows you to name someone who will have the authority to make heath care decisions for you Health Care Choices Directive, commonly referred to as a living will. Learn more about Estate Planning Basics in Missouri in this presentation.   … [Read more...] about Estate Planning Basics in Missouri

The death of a close family member is usually a time full of grief for the entire family. Along with that grief, however, there are a number of practical considerations that must be addressed as well when anyone dies, including the probate of the decedent’s estate. What happens if you just found out you are the Executor of your recently deceased grandfather’s estate? Although every estate is unique, there are some steps that most Executors need to take as soon as possible after the death of the … [Read more...] about You Just Found Out You Are the Executor of Your Recently Deceased Grandfather’s Estate. Now What?

You have undoubtedly heard how important it is to create an estate plan early on in life and update the plan as life events require. If you are finally getting around to creating your estate plan, however, you may be a bit intimidated by the prospect of having to figure out what should be included in your plan. Because of the unique nature of an estate plan you should consult with an experienced Missouri estate planning attorney to decide exactly which estate planning components would be … [Read more...] about Free Report: Missouri Estate Planning Basics – Components in an Estate Plan

If you already have a comprehensive estate plan in place you are ahead of the majority of the people in the United States with regard to protecting yourself, your loved ones, and your assets; however, you cannot “rest on your laurels” if you want to be certain everyone and everything is protected. In fact, your estate plan can actually cause more problems than it solves if you fail to review and revise your plan on a regular basis and when intervening events prompt the need for an update. So how … [Read more...] about Top Five Reasons to Review and Revise Your Estate Plan Now