Blog

When a person dies owning property in their sole name without a designated beneficiary, their loved ones must undergo a court-supervised process called probate to transfer the property from the deceased person’s name to the name of the intended beneficiaries or heirs at law. Going through probate court may lead to various expenses, including fees for attorneys, executors, appraisers, accountants, court filings, and other costs required by state law. Depending on the probate’s complexity and the estate’s value, fees can easily run up to tens of thousands of dollars in some states.  However, many costs can be reduced by avoiding probate altogether.

Navigating social security benefits can be confusing and overwhelming. Two of the most common social security benefits are Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). While they serve similar populations, they are different programs with different requireme...

Golf, like life, has a way of humbling even the most experienced among us. Conditions change. Variables shift. What worked last time might come up short today. Estate planning is no different. It is about knowing the terrain, making smart choices with the tools you have, and adjusting as life throws you its fair share of water hazards, wind gusts, and bunker shots. August is National Golf Month. While you are out there working on your game, remember that in the game of life, you should also be developing your estate plan. As with golf, an estate plan takes careful preparation and continual refinement for the best results.

From the moment a child is born, a parent feels an instinctive urge to protect and nurture. We childproof our homes, carefully select schools, guide them through adolescence, support their careers, and watch with pride as they forge their own paths.Thinking ahead, you might have set up a trust for your child at birth or soon after, knowing you wouldn't always be there to provide financial support. Like your living, breathing child, the trust you create for them must grow as they do. It should be a flexible, evolving legal tool that matures alongside them, from first steps to first jobs, from childhood to adulthood. You may not always be there, but with the right trust setup and thoughtful updates, your care and protection can be.

When thinking through their estate plan and how they want their assets (money and property) managed after they pass away, most parents wish to treat their children equally, often out of a sense of fairness. However, sometimes being fair or doing what is right by your children may mean giving unequal inheritances.

Whatever the time of year, it is always good for members of the military and their loved ones to create or revisit their estate plan. Military families face unique estate planning considerations that others do not, especially when a family member is deployed overseas or receives a temporary duty assignment. In addition, service members have access to special benefits and resources that can add complexity to the planning process, so seeking help if you are a military family is important.

You regularly check the balances of your retirement, bank, and investment accounts. But when was the last time you checked the beneficiary designations on these accounts (and really, all the other accounts that allow you to name a beneficiary)? Beneficiary designations are a crucial part of an estate plan and a way to avoid probate. But they supersede instructions in a will or trust and should be regularly reviewed to ensure that they align with your legacy goals.

A special needs trust (SNT) allows an individual to provide for a disabled beneficiary without jeopardizing the beneficiary’s eligibility for needs-based government benefits. SNT funds can generally be used to pay for almost anything that falls outside the basic support that programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid provide. This includes many goods, services, and experiences that these programs do not cover. Rules around SNTs are complicated, and a trustee’s unauthorized use of SNT funds may result in a penalty or reduction of government benefits for the trust beneficiary.

The Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted to provide guidelines to the healthcare industry for protecting patient information and preserving privacy. This is usually a nonissue for minors because parents, as legal guardians, generally have access to their children’s medical information, make most of their medical decisions, and pay the expenses. However, once an individual turns 18, they are no longer a minor but a legal adult.

Your wedding day was absolutely perfect. You and your spouse went on your honeymoon and had the time of your lives. Now you are back and can breathe a sigh of relief as the years ahead unfold before your eyes. Well, not so fast. With your honeymoon over, there are several things you should be mindful of to ensure that the legal and financial parts of your life properly reflect your newly married status.

You intend to pass along your hard-earned money and property through your estate plan, but what about your wisdom? Ensuring that you successfully pass all of this along may call for a family meeting to discuss your finances, your legacy, and your core principles. Most families lead busy lives, with many relatives seeing one another face-to-face only at a handful of major holidays throughout the year. The estate planning process is a perfect opportunity to bring everyone together outside of those scheduled occasions.

When beginning any type of planning, you usually start with some preliminary questions. Estate planning is no different. As you dive deeper into the process, you will need to think about how you envision things unfolding after you have passed away. Aside from your money and property, are there other things you want to leave your loved ones? Any inspiring words or values that you hope they heed? The following questions can help you think about what matters most to you and what you want your loved ones to receive through your estate plan in addition to money and property.

If you are reading this, you need an estate plan. Why? The short answer is that everyone age 18 and older needs an estate plan. It does not matter whether you are old or young, have built up considerable wealth or are just entering adulthood—you need a written plan to control what happens to the things you own and to protect yourself and those you love. 

Fewer people are creating estate plans today than in years past. Research shows that, in 2024, less than one-third of Americans report having a will. Every adult—whether they are 19 or 99—should have a will at a minimum. Many people can also benefit from estate planning documents such as trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives. But even if you have created a comprehensive estate plan, it may no longer align with your objectives if it is not up to date.

While the story of Snow White is just a fairy tale, important lessons can be learned. We all want our loved ones to have happy endings. Had the king engaged with an estate planning attorney to put his affairs in order, the outcome of this story might have been drastically different. At the law firm of L. Theodore Hoppe, Jr., Esquire - Attorney at Law, we can help you take steps to avoid the bad outcomes that are part of the typical fairy tales.

As a millennial, you are contributing to the workforce in a major way and are making positive changes in the world around you. At L. Theodore Hoppe, Jr., Esquire - Attorney at Law, we understand that your concerns may differ from someone of a different generation, and we are here to help you craft an estate plan that protects your future and addresses the things that matter most to you. The following are some important steps you need to take to ensure that you have a comprehensive estate plan.

Today more young adults are living at home with their parents than at any time since the 1940s. While there are many different opinions about this trend and the cause of its recent prevalence, the primary motivation for young adults staying at home with their parents is usually related to finance...

When creating an estate plan, we look at what is going on in your life at that time. But because life is full of changes, it is important to make sure your plan can change to accommodate whatever life throws your way.

Giving money to charity can provide personal and financial benefits to donors and be a part of the legacy they leave behind. If you are thinking about making a charitable gift—either now or when you pass away—there are some things to be aware of so you can make the most of your donation.

As poet Robert Burns mused centuries ago, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Despite thoughtful effort and a concerted strategy, you cannot prepare for every emergency in life. A car accident, sudden illness, workplace injury, or chronic medical condition can force you to reevaluate the core assumptions you used to plan your future and set up your legacy.

While television and movies provide great entertainment, they are not always factual. Even shows based on real events are not entirely accurate. Creators of television programs and movies will often alter details of a story or situation to provide an enjoyable experience. Because of these widespread embellishments, people often develop misconceptions about many industries and professions, including attorneys and estate planning.

One of your most important considerations when creating your Estate Plan is who to choose to serve as the executor (also called a personal representative) of your estate. This is the person with will execute the instructions that you provide in your will.