In some countries, like a dictatorship or a true monarchy (not a constitutional monarchy such as the United Kingdom), people do not really participate in making the law. The law is handed down by fiat. In the United States, our laws are enacted by our elected representatives. Sometimes, those laws may be viewed as violating the fundamental rights guaranteed to all of us by our Constitution. That’s when the judiciary may be asked to step in to make an impartial determination as to whether the law … [Read more...] about Law in the U.S. can be Participatory

This is another in a series of blogs on the basics of estate planning. Perhaps the most common mistake in estate planning is a lack of coordination. This is not where the client, attorney, or advisor cannot walk and chew gum at the same time. This is a failure to consider all the different aspects of a plan and how they may (or may not) work together. An ever-increasing share of an individual’s wealth is controlled by beneficiary designation. These may take the form of: Real estate … [Read more...] about Basics of Estate Planning: Lack of Coordination

This is another in a series of blogs on the basics of estate planning. Often, an individual wants to make a gift to charity. They don’t want something complicated, but they want to get the most bang for their buck. Estate planning attorneys and other financial professionals know the client could just contribute cash to the charity. Certainly, that would be fine with the charity. But, there are ways which would be just as good for the charity, and would give a better result to the … [Read more...] about Basics of Estate Planning: Getting the Most out of Charitable Gifts