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After meeting for a few minutes with a new client this week, she mentioned that theirs was a blended family.  She and her husband each had children from earlier marriages.  That dynamic raised a common question in such circumstances:  How can both spouses make certain that the children of both spouses will ultimately share in [...]

Another common question that clients ask here in Idaho is “how old should my children be before they receive their inheritance?”
As you can imagine, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.  Each family’s situation is different.  Some children have already shown a remarkable maturity in financial matters at a very young age.  And some children still struggle to [...]

Have you wondered what might be a memorable gift you could give each other and your children for Christmas this year?  How about the gift of setting up a Living Trust or a Family Trust for them?
While this may strike you as a bit out of the ordinary, think about it.
Here in Idaho, all of [...]

A few days ago I was reminded why deeding one’s home to the children in Idaho is an unwise way to avoid probate.  Two significant pitfalls lurk in this “solution” to the probate problem.
First, unless the child or children to whom the home is deeded actually live in the house, the transfer will cause the [...]

Who inherits when there’s no Will? The state decides!

Here’s how to protect your assets while giving a Power of Attorney to a spouse, friend, or family member.

It’s happened several times recently.  I’ve asked clients if they have a medical power of attorney.  They’ve answered “yes.”  But when they showed me what they have, it turned out to be the narrow power of attorney included in their  Living Will.
It’s important to know that there is a vast difference between a general medical [...]

Several years ago, Congress passed the HIPPA act which made it a federal crime for a health care provider to give anyone other than the patient information about that patient’s condition or the recommended treatment of that condition.
While well-intentioned, the act continues to perplex the medical community as it staunches the normal and natural flow [...]

Another common question for estate planning attorneys is whether a Living Trust or Family Trust might be used to avoid a Medicaid lien?  In other words, if a person puts his or her assets into a trust and then needs to enter an assisted living facility, will the assets in that trust be subject to [...]

The good news is that, under Idaho law, probate is only required under two circumstances.  The bad news is that most people fall into one or both of those circumstances.
Probate is legally required every time a person passes away who either (1) owned at least one piece of real estate at the time of death, [...]