Estate Planning

Smart estate planning involves more than creating a will and other documents traditionally associated with an estate plan. It often involves taking other important steps to help ensure that your assets are transferred to your designated beneficiaries as smoothly as...

Digital or electronic wills have received a lot of attention in recent years. Many states have adopted statutes allowing testators to execute documents digitally, including Kentucky. While many people may continue to work directly with lawyers to draft physical wills...

Welcoming new life is one of life’s biggest milestones. Between doctor visits, picking baby names and baby-proofing the house, it is easy to push legal planning to the bottom of your list. But for expectant parents, planning for what is to come may be one of the best...

Losing a loved one is an emotional and challenging time, and handling their estate can add financial strain to an already stressful situation. In many cases, beneficiaries must wait months, sometimes over a year, for the probate process to finalize.  During this time,...

Kentucky is among the relatively few states that have an inheritance tax. That’s important for anyone who is planning to leave assets to loved ones and others to understand as they do their estate planning. An inheritance tax, as the name suggests, is a tax on the...

Powers of attorney are useful estate planning tools. Unlike wills, which take effect after someone dies, powers of attorney take effect while they are still alive. Incapacitation due to an accident or medical emergency can leave people incapable of managing their own...

One of the primary purposes of an estate plan is to provide instructions for who gets what assets. Some people do this through their will, but another option to consider is trusts. Many people opt to establish trusts to pass the assets along.  Trusts bypass the...

People who choose to establish estate plans get to control the legacy they leave when they die. They can select beneficiaries to inherit their property and can designate specific resources for each beneficiary to receive. Frequently, testators putting together estate...

Most young adults don't wake up thinking about estate planning, and that's completely understandable. When life seems wide open and the future seems bright, drafting a will can seem unnecessary, even a little morbid. But unexpected events don't always wait for the...

There are lawyers who specialize in many different areas of legal practice. Despite how complex and challenging legal matters can be, quite a few people may try to handle certain issues on their own. For example, instead of hiring an estate planning attorney to draft...