Author Archives: Orchard Law Firm

The Difference between Lifetime and Deathtime Planning… and Why a Comprehensive Plan Must Include Both

According to a March 2017 survey by caring.com, six out of ten Americans have no will or any other kind of estate planning. Many said they’d get around to it, eventually. When they’re old. (The survey did find that the elderly are much more likely to have some plan in place.) It’s all too clear […]

How to Get Organized to Meet With Your Estate Planning Attorney

OK, great!  You’ve finally decided it’s time to meet with an estate planning attorney and get your affairs in order.  It’s time to make sure your family is protected. Now that you’ve scheduled the first appointment, what’s the next step? You can do one of two things: (1) Simply wait for the meeting date to […]

Life Insurance and Estate Planning: Protecting Your Beneficiaries’ Interests

One misconception people have about life insurance is that naming beneficiaries is all you have to do to ensure the benefits of life insurance will be available for a surviving spouse, children, or other intended beneficiary. Life insurance is an important estate planning tool, but without certain protections in place, there’s no guarantee that your […]

How Powers of Appointment Can Improve Your Trust

Today many estate plans contain trusts that will continue for the benefit of a spouse’s lifetime and then for the benefit of several generations.  Since these trusts are designed to span multiple decades, it is important for the trust creator to consider including powers of appointment in the trust agreement to allow trust beneficiaries to […]

How Often Do You Update Your Estate Plan? More Often Than Your Resume?

A resume is a “snapshot” of your experience, skill set, and education which provides prospective employers insight into who you are and how you will perform. Imagine not updating that resume for 5, 10, or even 15 years. Would it accurately reflect who you are? Would it do what you want it to do? Likely […]