Estate Planning Attorney and Probate Lawyer Blog

If you’re using QuickBooks for bookkeeping, you might be running your payroll all wrong—especially if you’re a law firm owner or managing a small business. Many of our bookkeeping clients come to us with payroll issues that stem from relying on QuickBooks for tasks it wasn’t designed to handle. Here’s why switching to Gusto can simplify your workflow and reduce headaches. QuickBooks vs. Gusto: Knowing Their Strengths QuickBooks is excellent at one thing: bookkeeping and accounting. It tracks income, expenses,…

 One of the most common questions I hear is: why does probate take so long? If you’ve ever been through the process, you know it can feel frustratingly slow. The truth is, it’s not just one delay — it’s a series of steps, each with its own waiting period. Let’s break down the probate timeline so you know exactly what to expect. Step 1: Preparing and Filing the Paperwork The process begins with obtaining the death certificate and preparing…

Placing real estate into a revocable trust is one of the most effective ways to ensure your estate plan works smoothly. Fortunately, the process is straightforward—but it’s important to do it correctly. I’ll walk you through the basics of how it’s done and why it matters. The Basic Process Moving property into your revocable trust generally requires just one key step: executing a new deed. Here’s what that looks like: Prepare the deed. Typically, this will be a quitclaim deed….

 When you inherit real estate, one of the most important — and often overlooked — steps is determining the property’s value. Get this right, and you can significantly reduce the taxes owed when you eventually sell. Get it wrong, and you may end up with a larger tax bill than necessary. Let’s break down how to handle this the right way. Why the Property’s Value Matters When someone passes away, the tax basis of their property resets to its…

Happy Sunday! Hope your fantasy football teams are crushing it. Today I wanted to talk about something that’s pretty fun to daydream about – winning the lottery. Yesterday two lucky ticket holders’ lives were changed forever when they found out they would be splitting $1.7B. Yes, that’s billion. I thought it would be fun to run down what I’d do if I were one of those lucky winners. Here’s what I’d do. First, I wouldn’t tell ANYONE. Literally no one,…

If you’re considering a revocable living trust as part of your estate plan, there’s one common misconception I need to clear up: revocable trusts do not provide income tax savings while you’re alive. Let me explain why. Understanding the Basics of a Revocable Living Trust A revocable living trust is a legal tool that allows you to manage your assets during your lifetime and specify how they’ll be distributed after your death. While it offers significant benefits — like avoiding…

Happy Sunday! Hopefully that headline got your attention. :) What we’re going to talk about today is estate planning for drug dealers. We really are. But what’s the context for you? This is when you’d want to think about more robust asset protection strategies utilizing estate planning to meet the goal of not having everything taken when you are arrested (or sued). I’m not a drug dealer, but I could imagine as a drug dealer I’d be worried about several…