Life Insurance Made Simple In all its forms life insurance has one core benefit – it pays an income-tax-free death benefit directly to your beneficiary when you die. Life insurance also gives you options that can reduce taxes immediately, build tax-advantaged income for retirement and/or provide assets to offset estate taxes. The two major types… Continue reading Life Insurance Types Explained
Category: Legal
Filing an Age Discrimination Claim
Age discrimination is against the law and employers have often tried to get around age discrimination claims by holding severance pay as a hostage to signing an age discrimination waiver. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued regulations regarding severance agreements that are signed by people who could file an age discrimination claim. The employee now has an easier… Continue reading Filing an Age Discrimination Claim
Elements of a Written Contract
Contract Elements – Contract Formationby: Fran Przyblewski An introduction to contracts The term “contract” can sound a bit ominous to many people. Because of this, salespeople often use the term “agreement“, instead of the word “contract” because it is less intimidating. However, whether you are signing an agreement or a contract, it still boils down to the same thing. … Continue reading Elements of a Written Contract
Social Security Disability Eligibility
WHEN IS A PERSON COVERED FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY CLAIMS? By: Pitt Dickey – Attorney Social Security Disability Eligibility – This column will examine how the Social Security Administration determines the time period during which a person is eligible for Disability Insurance Benefits. Previous columns have looked at the medical criteria used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to determine disability resulting from illness and… Continue reading Social Security Disability Eligibility
Naming a Guardian for Minors
Senior guardians over minor children Grandparent guardians – Thirty years ago, there was probably little concern over whether seniors should have to name guardianship for minor children in their will. Today, many grandparents are raising grandkids and even have full and legal custody. Often the child’s parents are incapable of raising the child(ren) for one reason… Continue reading Naming a Guardian for Minors
Is The Death Tax Gone?
The Death Tax Not Gone The death tax? Sounds funny, but it’s anything but. There are still a great number of questions about estate taxes. Unfortunately, many people believe the sound bites that have pronounced the death of the death tax. These have been greatly exaggerated, to say the least. Many people have the mistaken impression that the federal… Continue reading Is The Death Tax Gone?
Last Will & Testament 101
Settling Legal Wills The last will and testament will not settle over night. Beneficiaries often find themselves at odds over the disbursement of property after the death of a decedent. Sometimes it’s over the property or the value of the property itself. Sometimes it’s just that fact that it cannot happen immediately. Most beneficiaries think that once the… Continue reading Last Will & Testament 101
Renouncing a Will
Terminating your rights under a will for the better statutory provisions Why would you renounce a will? If there is a Will, the surviving spouse can renounce it and the inheritance it contains (if any), and instead elect to take a share of the estate specifically provided by state law. This is a legal device originally intended for… Continue reading Renouncing a Will
The Basics of a Life Estate
When a person has a “life estate” in a piece of property (most commonly, a house and the contents within it), he/she enjoys almost the same rights in that property as would an “absolute” owner – but only for his/her life. The idea of a life estate is best illustrated with a typical example, the “subsequent marriage”… Continue reading The Basics of a Life Estate
How Does a Last Will and Testament Treat Simultaneous Death
Last will and testament and legal considerations How does a will and the law treat an estate when both people die at the same time? The answer, of course, depends on whether any planning has been done. The most important planning, however, is practical, not legal. First, have you found a capable and willing guardian… Continue reading How Does a Last Will and Testament Treat Simultaneous Death