The Plain English Attorney Blog

Far too many attorneys overcomplicate things, making topics convoluted and difficult to understand to the average person. This blog is committed to explaining legal planning topics in an easy to understand format, in plain English. Enjoy the blogs, and please let us know if there is a topic you would like covered.

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11 Red Flags of Estate Planning #estateplanningbasics #trustplanning revocable trust Sep 11, 2023

When it comes to estate planning, there are a lot of red flags indicating a need for some specific protections. However, one of the biggest solutions is a well-drafted, optimally-funded revocable living trust to keep the estate out of probate. Here are the top eleven red flags Indicating an...

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When should I start planning for marriage? attorneys advice estate planning lawyers advice marriage planning Sep 04, 2023

The book The Divorce Firewall Strategy was written to help people plan ahead for marriage and avoid potential problems in the event of divorce to the same extent that many of my clients plan their estates ahead of time to avoid probate court. In one case, we are setting up a revocable...

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Seven Questions on Irrevocable Trusts (Part 2 of 2) irrevocable trust living trusts revocable trust the plain english attorney™ Aug 28, 2023

On one of my more popular YouTube videos, a subscriber asked 7 questions that were quite common and deserved a little more thought than just responding quickly in the comments. Here are the second three of the seven questions. Check out the full YouTube videos through the...

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7 Questions on Irrevocable Trusts (Part 1 of 2) irrevocable trust living trusts q&a Aug 21, 2023

On one of my more popular YouTube videos, a subscriber asked 7 questions that were quite common and deserved a little more thought than just responding quickly in the comments. Here are the first four of the 7 questions, and the next blog will cover the remaining three. Check out the full YouTube...

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The Irrevocable Trust Revenue Ruling Nothing Burger address the press irrevocable trust Aug 14, 2023

There has been a lot of buzz in the estate planning news world about a catastrophic revenue ruling by the IRS. Professional journals and news outlets are screaming about how the IRS is quietly taking away your precious tax breaks when it comes to irrevocable trusts. Clients, financial advisors,...

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Cornhole Tournament to Benefit Special Olympics #specialneeds charity community Aug 07, 2023

There are many ways to both benefit charities and save on taxes through good estate and financial planning for after you pass on. There are also a lot of tax techniques to benefit you and charities during your lifetime that can save tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, there are...

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Three Asset Protection Perspectives asset management trusts asset protection asset protection trust estate planning strategies inlawplanning ira trusts Jul 31, 2023

Since I founded my law practice, I have consistently wanted to work with clients who preferred to plan ahead to avoid problems rather than clean them up after. This naturally led me to estate planning since using the right type of strategy and documents to avoid probate would have saved my...

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The Divorce Firewall Strategy Book Launch Next Week divorce premarital agreement prenup Jul 24, 2023

On Monday, July 31, 2023, the new book called The Divorce Firewall Strategy will be out and available to the public. As a planning attorney, I have devoted decades to helping client plan ahead through the effective use of trusts and other legal tools to give them and their loved ones the best...

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The Ideal Divorce Firewall Strategy divorce premarital agreement prenup Jul 17, 2023

For all of my clients and content consumers, thank you for your patience. In the last few months, a lot of time has been divided among the usual law firm work, creating content, the Advanced Institute estate planning conference next week, AND finishing the upcoming book The Divorce Firewall...

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Free Estate Planning Education System estate planning trust planning Jul 10, 2023

Providing information on planning ahead to avoid estate problems has been a hallmark of the law firm since it was founded more than 27 years ago. While many other firms simply responded to estate messes while "towing the company line" about estate planning with Wills, we were...

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Planning for a Spouse Within a "Prenup" Marriage premarital agreement prenup Jul 03, 2023

While I usually like to provide variety in blog topics, I have been on a deadline to put together the new book in time for a launch at a national conference.  There just isn't time right now to divert attention away from the topic of protective planning against the financial downsides of a...

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“Divorce Firewall” Strategy cohabitation agreement estate documents premarital agreement prenup Jun 26, 2023

Over the last few months, I have mentioned an upcoming book in a few places. As with my other books, this one will be about planning ahead to avoid problems before they ever come up. In this case, the book will show a much more effective way to avoid the downsides of divorce than a...

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