You still need a will even if you have a trust

Q: Why does a person need a will if he has created a trust?

Where will you make your mark?

“Community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.

Lack of estate planning plays out on reality TV

So I’m flipping channels on the television about a week ago. I’m not much for reality TV so it was hard to find anything I wanted to watch. I probably have five hundred channels and it seems like every one has a camera following some knucklehead around while they do something stupid.

Who will get my money?

Q: We recently gave a copy of your article on dying without a will to our daughter. She immediately asked, “If I die without a will, who will get my money if not my nieces, siblings and parents?” We thought you would be kind enough to expound on this for us.

Establishing education trusts

Q: We want to set up a trust for our grandchildren's education. To save money, is it possible to set up one trust for all of the grandchildren or do we need to set up a separate one for each of them?

Estate Planning and Medicaid seminar Wednesday at Valparaiso Public Library

VALPARAISO | An Estate Planning and Medicaid Seminar will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Valparaiso Public Library.

Vogelsang to host estate planning seminars

VALPARAISO | Vogelsang Asset Management LLC will host "Family Legacy Seminar – planning and providing for your financial legacy" on March 1, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. March 1 at Strongbow Inn, 2405 U.S. 30, in Valparaiso and at 6:30 p.m. March 6 at Pottawattomie Country Club, 1900 Springland Ave., i…

Blow the dust off the estate plan

Happy 2012, everyone. I can't believe 2011 is already gone. I can't say I'm going to miss it, but it sure didn't seem to last very long.

Now's the time to get your house in order

"Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up."

Who pays the tax?

As you all probably know by now, Indiana has an inheritance tax. The Indiana inheritance tax includes almost everything that transfers as the result of the death of an Indiana resident. Things that aren't taxed include real estate owned by an Indiana resident but located in another state and…

Understand what those words mean

In this column, I talk a lot about how an estate plan is more than just a will or trust. Sure, getting your stuff to your loved ones is a big part of any estate plan, but it's only one part of the plan. With that in mind, I write each week about powers of attorney and living wills. I've talk…

ESTATE PLANNING: Don't get stuck using labels as your estate plan

Q: I've been putting labels on my personal property with the names of the people I want to receive the item. I know this isn't the best way to do it, but will it work?

S'ville to host estate planning seminar July 26 at Town Hall

SCHERERVILLE | An estate planning seminar is scheduled to run from 7 to 8 p.m. July 26 in Schererville.

ESTATE PLANNING: Better to fund the trust

Q: Can you designate a trust beneficiary of your bank accounts, life insurance and annuities? By naming the trust beneficiary, you could avoid transferring the accounts to the trustee but still get the trustee access to the money after death.

ESTATE PLANNING: Estate Planning in a Digital Age Part II

Recently, I wrote a column on digital estate planning. Digital estate planning is essentially planning for all of the stuff we do online. Since so much of what we do online is stored on computers other than our own, it only make sense to have a plan in place.

ESTATE PLANNING: Inheritance tax can cross state lines

Q: If I have a bank account in an Illinois bank, will it still be subject to Indiana Inheritance Tax?

ESTATE PLANNING: Trust administration takes time

Q: It's been almost a year since my mother passed away and her trust still hasn't distributed out the money to the beneficiaries. Aren't trusts supposed to speed up the process? I almost feel like probate would have been faster.

ESTATE PLANNING: One copy of a will should suffice

Q: I want to give a signed copy of my will to each of my kids, but my attorney told me that I should only sign one copy. Why can't I sign more copies if I want them for my kids?

ESTATE PLANNING: Which funds to spend

Q: My son is the successor trustee of my trust. He also is on my bank account. Since he is the trustee and on the bank account, is it OK to leave the bank account titled as it is and not in the name of the trust?