Updating your beneficiaries is a part of your estate planning and financial wellness routines. However, reviewing your plans may be overlooked during emotional challenges, such as in a divorce case. Existing policies for life insurance, IRA, or an old 401(k) may still list your ex-spouse as the beneficiary. Some states now automatically terminate a former spouse’s beneficiary status when the marriage is legally dissolved, but others do not.

A limited liability company (LLC) exists structurally between a partnership and a corporation. Most small business owners are aware this hybrid legal entity is beneficial for financial management, yet an LLC is also a powerful estate planning tool for much the same reason. In the case of estate planning, a Family LLC permits the transfer of assets to children, grandchildren and other family members at discounted rates without being heavily burdened by gift or estate taxes. As part of your estate plan, an LLC can protect assets during your lifetime, keep them in the family and reduce taxes you and your family owe.

As we've arrived at the six-year anniversary of the death of Prince Rogers Nelson, there are many lessons to be taken from his life and death.

It is not a stretch to say that whenever an individual goes through significant life changes that there are likely to be corresponding changes to his or her estate plan. There is, in fact, no shortage of life events that similarly should invoke the idea of contacting an estate planning attorney to see if any changes are required to an individual’s estate plan. What follows is a non-exhaustive list of some of those instances.

Advanced directives are essential tools for ensuring one's wishes for medical and end-of-life treatment are known. Unfortunately, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are often overlooked in discussions surrounding advanced directives. Thanks to a $35,000 grant from the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, a new program from Indiana Disability Rights will empower these individuals to make their important end-of-life choices known.

It is not a stretch to say that whenever an individual goes through significant life changes, there are likely to be corresponding changes to his or her estate plan. In its most common form, parents and grandparents often contact an estate planning attorney when a new child or grandchild is born. Similarly, an estate plan is often updated after a loved one has passed away. The need for creating or updating an estate plan is quite obvious in these situations. There is, in fact, no shortage of life events that similarly should invoke the idea of contacting an estate planning attorney to see if any changes are required to an individual’s estate plan. What follows is a non-exhaustive list of some of those instances.

On Feb. 17, 2022, a historic networking event occurred among the Marion County Bar Association (MCBA), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana (APABA), Indianapolis Bar Association (IndyBar) and Indianapolis Bar Foundation (IndyBar Foundation).

Check out this week's report of estate planning and administration law related legislation.

The Marion Superior Court has shared a tentative timeline for the court's transition to the new Community Justice Center.

Check out this week's report of estate planning and administration law related legislation.