by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jul 12, 2018 | Special Needs
Selecting the right person to serve as trustee for a Special Needs Trust in Alaska is important. The trustee will need to make distributions, file tax returns, and carry out numerous other duties that go along with administering a trust. Families often consider a...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jul 6, 2018 | Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts
Here in Anchorage, attorneys know full well the ramifications of not planning ahead for an unexpected disability. Even those clients who understand the importance of estate planning tend to overlook what would happen if they should become unable to care for...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jun 28, 2018 | Estate Planning, Probate, Wills and Trusts
An executor is chosen by a testator to carry out the intentions of the will after the testator has died. It’s fairly easy to replace an executor when the testator is still alive – all the testator has to do is simply name a new executor. However, this becomes far more...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jun 22, 2018 | Elder Law, Wills and Trusts
As an Anchorage will attorney, I advise that it’s always best for a person to write down one’s intentions for their property when they die. However, many people still die intestate (without a will), and their intentions aren’t known. Often, however, these people’s...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | May 31, 2018 | Elder Law
It’s a common story among blended families: an aging parent becomes ill and the parent’s biological children clash with the parent’s spouse. While some of these disagreements are generally small, there are times when the disagreements are not only great, but the child...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | May 25, 2018 | Estate Planning
One thing that surprises many of my clients is that Powers of Attorney are necessary even for married couples. People automatically assume that their spouse will be able to handle everything on their behalf if they become incapacitated. This is not usually the case. A...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | May 18, 2018 | Estate Planning
Anchorage estate planning attorneys know, a divorce changes everything. If you are in the process of divorce or just finishing up, you are most likely busy trying to readjust to your new life. Although it’s a hectic time, it is important that you do not forget that...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | May 11, 2018 | Wills and Trusts
When most people think about estate planning, they picture money and property. But, as an Anchorage will and trust lawyer, I see more and more people adding intangible assets to their estate plan. Intangible assets might be things that have no monetary value, but are...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Apr 27, 2018 | Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts
Anchorage will and trust attorney Connie Aschenbrenner asks, “Are you planning for your children’s future?” Picture this – you get an opportunity to spend some alone time with your spouse. What do you do to prepare for date night? You carefully select a babysitter....
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Apr 20, 2018 | Special Needs
Unfortunately, many parents of children with special needs wait until their child turns 18 to consider creating a Special Needs Trust. Sometimes, they even wait until their child eventually needs government benefits like SSI or Medicaid. However, as an Anchorage...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Apr 13, 2018 | Elder Law, Wills and Trusts
The number of adult children caring for their elderly parents is growing at a very fast pace. If you are a baby boomer and not already caring for an elderly parent, chances are high that you might be facing this situation soon. It isn’t always easy to know when, or...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Apr 7, 2018 | Elder Law
Elder care lawyers in Anchorage work with families to prepare for any number of situations in the estate planning process. One circumstance that is especially relevant to elder care law is dementia. Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are almost...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Mar 30, 2018 | Wills and Trusts
Like many Americans, your home is probably your largest asset. However, if you have children who have grown and moved away, you’re left with an empty nest, quiet and big. You may be torn between keeping the house and passing it to your children someday, or selling it....
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Mar 22, 2018 | Estate Planning
Unless you were living under a rock, you most likely heard about the tax reform bill that was passed by Congress and signed by the President over the holidays. One big change that came out of it was the doubling of the federal estate tax exemption amount for federal...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Mar 15, 2018 | Probate
As a probate lawyer in Anchorage, I am well aware of the hassles and headaches that families face when a loved one’s estate goes into probate. The process can drag out, eating up not just time but also resources that would have otherwise gone to beneficiaries. ...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Mar 8, 2018 | Special Needs
The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which was created by Congress in 2014, allows people with disabilities and their families to save up to $100,000 in accounts for the benefit of a disabled person. The funds can be saved without jeopardizing the...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Feb 28, 2018 | Elder Law
By Anchorage Elder Law Attorney Connie Aschenbrenner Longer lives are among the greatest achievements of our modern era. Advances in healthcare and other progress related to human safety have resulted in what the United Nations says is one of the most significant...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Feb 22, 2018 | Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts
As an Anchorage will and trust lawyer, I have the important job of helping clients create a legacy that is compliant with a number of different laws. For the most part, these laws will vary from state to state. Some differences are minor, while others can impact an...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Feb 16, 2018 | Elder Law, Estate Planning
Millions of individuals are affected by dementia in their lifetime. Unfortunately, it is usually after a medical crisis like dementia hits that many families begin to think about estate planning. As an Anchorage estate and elder lawyer, I have seen this situation all...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Feb 8, 2018 | Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts
Blended families are becoming more and more common in modern society, yet, estate laws remain largely unchanged and still geared toward a “traditional” family structure. This poses an issue when it comes to leaving an inheritance for step-children in an estate plan....
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jan 31, 2018 | Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts
This tragic hurricane season and other disasters have taken a toll on many parts of the United States and the Caribbean. They have also taken a toll on the charitable organizations that step in when a crisis hits. As a will and trust lawyer in Anchorage, it is...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jan 25, 2018 | Estate Planning
Often, when we think of someone having property overseas, we think of George Clooney and his Italian villa or Richard Branson and his private island. However, plenty of everyday Americans own property or assets in other countries, and it may become part of their...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jan 17, 2018 | Estate Planning, Wills and Trusts
It’s entirely possible for someone to have an estate and no one to inherit it when they die. It could be due to not having children of one’s own and no other family. It could also be due to outliving all of one’s relatives, or not having relatives who live in the...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Jan 8, 2018 | Elder Law
As an Anchorage elder law attorney, I get this question quite a bit. Should I invest in long-term care insurance? The answer is….maybe. Let me explain. First, you should consider the fact that the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that anyone reaching...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Dec 28, 2017 | Elder Law, Guardianship
Even with the best intentions, most senior citizens don’t plan for a future in which they may be incapacitated. Perhaps they didn’t want to face the prospect of losing autonomy, or perhaps they fell ill before they had a chance to plan. Either way, for those with...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Dec 21, 2017 | Guardianship
When a child with special needs turns 18, parents must begin to think about sensitive issues such as long-term care planning and how to legally stay in control. Adult guardianship is one such vehicle that allows parents to have legal and financial authority over...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Dec 14, 2017 | Probate
As an Alaska Probate Attorney, I’m commonly asked, “What are the most important steps I need to take after the death of a loved one?” While each situation is different, there are eight general tasks that I advise families to start with when attempting to finalize...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Dec 8, 2017 | Wills and Trusts
Unfortunately, family feuds that center around someone’s will or trust are a tale as old as time. Even if this is not something you have personally experienced, you may have heard a few horror stories. While family squabbles after the death of a loved one are not...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Nov 3, 2017 | Probate
An estate administrator has a duty to manage the estate and do so in the best interest of the beneficiaries. However, not every administrator acts in good faith, and even when they do, disputes and discrepancies can make a beneficiary want to know exactly where the...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Oct 25, 2017 | Elder Law
The elderly are too often targets of unscrupulous individuals who may try to take an unsuspecting senior’s money. Seniors are especially vulnerable as they become less cognitively able and thus more dependent on other adults. Unfortunately, elder financial abuse is...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Oct 18, 2017 | Estate Planning, Special Needs
When it comes to creating a special needs plan for a loved one with disabilities, it’s the hope that all family members are in agreement and ideally on the same page. But, even if everyone is working together, there can be issues when the parents are divorced. Often,...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Oct 17, 2017 | Estate Planning, Probate
A common concern for those who have remarried is that they still want to leave the bulk of their estate to their adult children without abandoning their current spouse. The solution? Create a life estate. A life estate is a tenancy that allows a person to use a...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Oct 7, 2017 | Estate Planning, Special Needs
August 9, 2017 When you have a child that may require a lifetime of assistance and care, extra attention must be given to planning their future. Our Anchorage special needs planning lawyers work with parents every day to ensure their disabled children have...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Oct 7, 2017 | Estate Planning, Probate
August 18, 2017 Funeral planning is not a pleasant experience, especially when you’re pre-planning your own. But, Anchorage will lawyers stress that it’s important to have your wishes in writing for after you pass away, since you won’t be...
by Connie Aschenbrenner - Anchorage Attorney | Oct 7, 2017 | Elder Law, Estate Planning, Guardianship
August 28, 2017 Most people don’t realize the high cost of nursing home care until an aging parent’s health declines to the point that they need to move into one. As an Anchorage elder law attorney, I can’t stress enough that this is a really bad timeto learn that...