If you get COVID-19 and struggle to breathe, would you want to be put on a ventilator? Whatever your answer, ask yourself another question: Who would make your wishes clear, if you couldn’t speak for yourself?
Generally, if you own property, have life insurance and/or have other assets which total over $150,000 (including life insurance and real property), you are a candidate for asset protection.
One of the key functions of the family law system is to ensure that children are looked after appropriately. This is the basis for the doctrine of legal guardianship.
Besides seeking to draft or alter wills and trusts, many clients were changing trustees, executors and the agents they assigned to oversee their finances and health care, if they were unable to make decisions themselves.
The rapidly evolving coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis is creating a plethora of unique estate planning and legal challenges across the globe, particularly given the volatility of the financial markets.
Sometimes, despite best intentions and best efforts, an estate plan leaves unintended problems for heirs, trustees and others to solve. For example, a trust may have become outdated because of changes in tax laws, the birth or death of family members, or special circumstances like an heir’s disability.
