As our lives become increasingly digital, more and more of the assets we accumulate are based in technology or created online.
Estate attorneys in Grand Rapids have the important job of educating their clients on how to handle “digital assets” in the event of a person’s death or incapacity, and then helping the client document such wishes in a will or trust. Whether it’s an email account, blog, collection of domain names, hosting accounts, apps, eBooks, etc., a good estate planning attorney can help ensure that only a person the account owner trusts can access and maintain digital assets in their absence.View Post
Category: Planning for Yourself and Your Family
The Infamous Prenup and the Grand Rapids Lawyers Who Create Them
Generally, we hear about prenuptial agreements when a celebrity split is splashed across the tabloids. What you don’t usually hear about are the Grand Rapids prenup lawyers who are charged with making sure the stars are covered in the case of a high-profile divorce. We may not have a lot of famous folks here in Grand Rapids, but that doesn’t mean that our prenup lawyers don’t work just as hard for their clients.View Post
Grand Rapids Estate Planning Lawyer: The Need for Unmarried People to Plan Ahead
Estate Planning for Unmarried People in Grand Rapids
While married couples are most likely to seek out the services of an estate planning lawyer in Grand Rapids, unmarried people may actually need it more. It’s a pretty well known fact that when a married spouse passes away, the other will likely inherit a considerable portion of the estate, simply by virtue of the legal marriage.View Post
Grand Rapids Estate Planning Lawyer- Why a Woman Needs to Plan for Her Future
Grand Rapids Estate Planning Lawyer’s Advice for Women
A good Grand Rapids estate planning lawyer will help you take a lot of things into consideration when putting together your estate plan. Various factors influence your estate planning after all: finances, children, age…But what about your gender? Is estate planning for women different than it is for men?
Actually, there are some important extra things for women to keep in mind when estate planning.View Post
Grand Rapids Wills and Trusts Lawyer: Moving to a New State?
The Role of Grand Rapids Wills and Trusts Lawyers When You Move to a New State
Trusts lawyers in Grand Rapids have the important job of helping their clients create a legacy that is compliant with a number of different laws. For the most part, these laws will vary from state to state. Some differences are minor, while others can impact the trust significantly. Someone who already has established a trust in one state may very well want to at least review it with a trusts lawyer when relocating to another.View Post
Grand Rapids Wills and Trusts Lawyer Explains Incentive Trusts
Grand Rapids Wills and Trusts Lawyers See a Rise in Incentive Trusts
A growing number of people in Grand Rapids are realizing that they can have more of a say in how their assets are used after they have departed and protect those assets for their loved ones. The use of incentive trusts has increased as a result. Parents, especially, are directing their trust lawyer to add guidelines and stipulations that need to be met in order for their kids to receive proceeds from the trust as well as adding provisions to keep the funds protected from creditors and future ex-spouses.View Post
Grand Rapids Will and Estate Lawyer: Plan your finances for the future
Estate Planning and Loss of Income in Grand Rapids
Many people visiting their will and estate lawyers in Grand Rapids are unprepared for the news that their income might change drastically with the death of a spouse. For example, the spouses of veterans are often surprised to find that VA benefits can end when the veteran passes away. Unfortunately, this is something that sneaks up on a lot of folks who haven’t considered this with their Grand Rapids will and estate lawyer.View Post
Grand Rapids Estate Planning Lawyer- It is Never Too Early to Start Planning
Estate Planning Concerns for Young Professionals in Grand Rapids – Part I
Part I of a two-part piece looking at the most important estate planning documents for young professionals.
Why bother with estate planning for young professionals in Grand Rapids? Perhaps nothing about the word “young” makes you think of the need for estate planning. The truth is, however, that those folks who have recently graduated from school and into the world of the professional should absolutely start their estate planning as early as possible. Of course, one long-term concern of a Grand Rapids estate planning lawyer is to help you plan for death or incapacity, but there are other, more pressing concerns that the young professional should deal with now.View Post
Need for an Elder Lawyer: Grand Rapids Elder Lawyer Explains
Introducing an Elder Lawyer in Grand Rapids to the Senior in Your Life
The choice about whether or not to hire a Grand Rapids elder lawyer is one that is not to be taken lightly. Unfortunately, it’s a topic that can cause a lot of anxiety both for the senior and for his or her adult children. Many factors combine to make this an uncomfortable conversation to initiate.View Post
Grand Rapids Estate and Tax Planning Attorney: Affects of Marital Status?
How Marital Status Affects Estate and Tax Planning in Grand Rapids
Who can get married and who can’t is an issue that estate and tax lawyers in Grand Rapids are following closely. Beyond social and religious meaning, marriage brings with it certain rights and benefits. A person’s marital status affects so many legal aspects of life, all the way through who will inherit property after death.View Post