» Estate Planning Basics

In Michigan, certain homeowners are eligible for a refund of the state real estate transfer tax (SRETT) when they sell their homes. Many homeowners are unaware of the availability of the SRETT refund, which means that they could be leaving hundreds o… Read More

It’s June—graduation season! If you have a graduating senior, congratulations! Your spring has probably been a blur of parties and proms, and your summer will likely be a whirlwind of preparation for college: shopping to outfit dorm rooms, fi… Read More

A power of attorney allows a person you appoint — your “attorney-in-fact” or agent — to act in your place for financial or other purposes when and if you ever become incapacitated or if you can’t act on your own behalf. There are four main… Read More

More and more, we are conducting our business on the Internet, whether that’s online banking, shopping at Amazon and other sites, uploading documents, photos, and files to the “cloud,” posting videos on YouTube, or communicating with high schoo… Read More

Utilizing beneficiary designation is a legitimate method or estate planning. However, failure to “properly” establish such designations can create many unintended and unfortunate consequences. In addition, even if done properly there are limitati… Read More

More than 4 in 10 Americans have at least one step-relative in their family – either a stepparent, a step or half sibling or a stepchild — according to the Pew Research Center. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research estimates that a… Read More

Once you’ve created an estate plan, it is important to keep it up to date. You will need to revisit your plan after certain key life events. Marriage Whether it is your first or a later marriage, you will need to update your estate plan after you g… Read More

All trusts should be reviewed every few years to make sure that they are up-to-date with the law and meet your goals today. Following is a checklist of trust features you can review yourself. But be aware that these only refer to revocable “living�… Read More