As I’ve previously written, digital property presents unique challenges in estate planning. What happens with your digital life when you die or if you are in a coma? Facebook announced a new feature today that will permit users to provide a contact who can manage the user’s page after the user’s death. Or users can […]
Trusts and Estates
Are You Backing Up Your Digital Life?
The holidays were filled with lots of wonderful opportunities to take pictures. Then those photos were downloaded to computers with the thought they would be held for safekeeping. But are they really secure? Many people were the happy recipients of new laptops or desktop computers that they are now happily using. Was a backup system […]
Obituaries – Life’s Stories and Lessons on Living Life Better
When I was reporter for The Atlanta Constitution, my colleagues and I had deep respect for those who wrote obituaries, stories on how a life had been lived. As an attorney handling estate matters, both planning and administration, I know writing an obit is a solemn and often sad task. As this article describes, many […]
Retired and Considering Remarrying? Consider how Social Security benefits will change
For three in four single retirees more than half of their income comes from Social Security. A divorced retiree who was married for at least a decade is entitled to spousal Social Security benefits, the same as if they were still married. The benefits are available even if the ex-spouse remarries. That eligibility ends when […]
You’ve Inherited Property with a Mortgage, Now What?
Hearing that you’ve inherited real estate is the good news. Then there can be uncertainty about what an existing mortgage might mean. Many fear they have to get a new mortgage on their name, that they won’t be able to, and that they will lose the property if the lender calls the loan. The Consumer […]
Who Cares for Your Digital Life and Afterlife?
What happens with your digital life when you die or if you are in a coma? The Washington Post interviewed me in a piece that highlighted Delaware’s new law that grants access to digital property owned by someone who is incapacitated or has died. As I told the reporter, in my practice I regularly see […]
Preparing For And Getting Through Divorce
If divorce is something you are thinking about, are in the midst of, or have gone through, Daily Finance has an article on financial, tax, and legal related points to consider. The author has prepared a thorough list of 22 things to consider in moving from married to divorced. I am in strong agreement with […]
E-Z Legal Form Not so Easy with Court Fight Over Will
Ann Aldrich probably thought she was doing well when she signed a will that left a list of her assets to her sister and if her sister didn’t survive then to her brother James. However, the will she signed in 2004, an “E-Z Legal Form,” was not drafted for her by a lawyer. Certainly unintended, […]
Funeral Choices
As family and friends face the loss of a loved one, they are also often thrust into becoming instant funeral service consumers. The choices can be overwhelming and the costs significant. I talk with my clients about the gift of making pre-need arrangements – funeral, cremation, burial, etc. I describe pre-planning as a gift because […]
Senior Citizens Handbook: Answers, Information, & Resources in Virginia
For senior citizens, their loved ones, and caregivers, many, many questions can arise. Finding answers can seem overwhelming and very time consuming. In Virginia, there is an information rich 112-page book that covers all aspects of senior living. For more than three decades the Virginia State Bar has published the Senior Citizens Handbook: Laws & […]
I Know There’s Life Insurance, Where Is It?
If you believe a loved one may have had a life insurance policy you cannot locate, you have two options: first, contact every life insurance company; or, second, pay a service to search for you. Below is a list below of some of the most popular national life insurance companies and their contact information. Some […]
I’m a Successor Trustee, Now What?
You know your loved one or friend named you as trustee. You get a call that she has been in a terrible accident. You then realize she cannot tend to her financial matters for the near future. Do you know how to locate her lawyer to help you get started as successor trustee? After contacting […]
What’s A Power of Attorney Agent To Do
If you’ve been named as an agent in someone’s power of attorney, do you know what to do? Or what not to do? The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has published a fact packed guide to help agents (attorneys-in-fact) with their fiduciary duties.
Digital Property Inventory
Have you made an inventory of your digital property? Or will your loved ones be left to search for your things? How will they gain access? These are important questions as I discussed with a reporter for the Fairfax Times and the Gazette.
Digital Property & How to Get Rid of It
I’ve written lately about the importance of planning for your digital property in case of your incapacity or death. I’ve also encouraged you to make an inventory of digital property so the person caring for you or managing your estate knows what you have, where it is, and how to access it. Now my digital […]
Do you know your Digital Property?
Many of us have digital property. Family and vacation photos stored in the cloud for safekeeping and ease of sharing. Music, books, and movies. Email with friends and family as well as business matters. Financial assets and records. We like our digital property – it is easy to use and we can access it from […]
Planning to retire one day?
If your future includes retiring from work, you will want to take a look at a new Retirement Toolkit. Planning for your retirement means getting educated now on the many issues you’ll need to consider. This interactive resource will help guide you through the maze of decisions that lie ahead. This toolkit includes links to […]
Digital Property
If you are reading this, you are likely the owner of digital property. Digital property is very broad – e-mail, texts, social media posts, online accounts, videos, passwords and IDs to access sites, your data on shopping, financial and other sites, electronic documents, online backups, photo collections, and more. In this article, I and my […]
US Supreme Court: Beneficiary Designations Matter
Today the US Supreme Court ruled that when federal employees designate beneficiaries on their federal life insurance that the Virginia General Assembly cannot override it. See Hillman v. Maretta. In 1996 Mr. Hillman, a federal employee, submitted a beneficiary designation form for his federal life insurance that named his then wife Judy Maretta. They divorced […]
What happens to my Google Accounts when I die or if I can’t access them?
Ask and it will be given to you, says the Bible. Users must have asked enough as Google has provided an answer. Now you can decide how your Google Accounts are to be handled if you’ve left them inactive for any reason. Maybe you no longer use Picasa to store your photos. Or perhaps you’ve […]
