» Estate Planning

As surely as the warm weather brings vacations, barbecues and fireworks, it also brings inquiries from parents preparing to send their children off to college in the fall. Most commonly, our clients call about getting general and health care powers o… Read More

Although we don’t prepare income tax returns in our office, I am frequently asked about the tax consequences of various types of gifts. The general rule is that all gifts are taxable unless they fit into an exception. Fortunately, the exceptions ar… Read More

We understand that preparing an estate plan is not always the most urgent priority for young families. Buying your first home, sleepless nights with a newborn, coordinating everyone’s packed schedules while trying to maintain your family’s sanity… Read More

In an age when we seem to have less and less privacy, most of us are reluctant to needlessly surrender what privacy we do have. I was reminded of that a few days ago when a long-time client, who was selling a home titled in his living trust, called t… Read More

As many of you may know, my husband, Joe, and I welcomed our second child, Cole Elizabeth, four months ago. (Our son, Callum, is now two and a half.) I look back on the two and a half years of being a parent, and am amazed by all of the planning, reo… Read More

Last year, we told you about Michigan’s new law that exempts home and cottage transfers between certain family members from property tax uncapping. The Michigan legislature has now expanded the law to accommodate many typical transfers so that they… Read More

Beginning in 2011, decedents who leave their assets to their spouse can also transfer their unused estate tax exemption, commonly called “portability” under the IRS’s portability rules. The surviving spouse is eligible to receive the decedent�… Read More

Despite the recent opening of State insurance exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (often called “ObamaCare”), many people are still uncertain about exactly what the law requires and how it impacts them. The Act is exten… Read More