The Risks of Giving Adult Children an “Advance” on Their Inheritance
There are many reasons you might consider giving your adult children a portion of their inheritance now, while you’re alive and well. Maybe you’ve seen your nest egg grow thanks to a robust stock market, and you have more in savings than you thought you would at this...
Why Do People “Put Off” Estate Planning?
The statistics are rather alarming. In 2005, 50 percent of Americans had a will; today, only 32 percent of us have one. Meanwhile, only one in three Americans over the age of 55 has a durable power of attorney, and a mere 41 percent of this same demographic has...
Estate Planning Basics: An Introduction to Trusts
Perhaps you have heard about trusts but wonder exactly what they are and what they can help you accomplish. Simply put, a trust is an agreement outlining how assets will be managed and held for the benefit of another person. There are many types of trusts, capable of...
A Look at America’s Most Popular Pension Plan: Social Security
Approximately 50% of elderly Americans receive at least half of their income from Social Security. Let’s take a look at this important program and some of the changes we will see this year. Eligibility. Eligibility for Social Security is based on the number of credits...
Do You Need a Trust?
One of the first questions many clients ask is whether they need a trust. It's a great question, but it leads to another: What do you want your plan to accomplish? Let's begin with a brief discussion of what trusts are and how they work. Then we'll explore their...
Are you trying to figure out how to pay for the care of a loved one?
Are you trying to figure out how to pay for the care of a loved one? Is he or she at home and no longer able to manage on their own, or have a cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease? Does the illness, impairment, or disability limit their ability to...
Are you going on a bucket list trip?
Are you going on a bucket list trip? Or just a fishing trip? Has your pain threshold approached the level that the doctor told you, if you get to this point, then we will schedule your surgery? Has a good friend or family member just passed away? Has your teenager...
Are you trying to figure out how to pay for the care of a loved one?
Is he or she at home and no longer able to manage on their own, or have a cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease? Does the illness, impairment, or disability limit their ability to manage on their own? Is your loved one in the hospital and not able to go...
Anchorage Probate Lawyer Considerations Before Adding a Child to Your Bank Account
When working with families dealing with probate on a loved one’s estate, Anchorage probate lawyers often find themselves answering a variety of questions about how to avoid probate in the future. There are a whole lot of tools at the disposal of an probate attorney...
Have You Reviewed Your Beneficiary Designations Lately?
Maybe it’s an insurance policy you took out years ago. Or the retirement plan you set up with your employer the day you started working for the company. Or the IRA you have been scrupulously contributing to for two decades. You created them all to protect your...
Anchorage Will and Trust Lawyer: What Property Should Be in a Living Trust?
If you are reading our blog, you probably already decided that you want to create a living trust with an Anchorage will and trust lawyer to avoid probate and put a quick end to the estate administration process. You might also have decided that you want your estate...
Contesting a Will is Not Easy
Though not as often as movies and soap operas would have us believe, estate planning lawyers do sometimes deal with family members who contest their loved one’s will. The case of a contested will normally involves a person who feels the deceased did not properly...
Anchorage Special Needs Planning Attorney: How to Plan for Your Child’s Future When You Are Divorcing
Raising a child with special needs is challenging. Sadly, the stress of the situation contributes to the high rate of divorce among couples who are raising children with special needs. In fact, it is estimated that the rate of divorce in these households are between...
Alaska Will and Trust Lawyer: How to Plan When You’re Ill or Dealing with Health Challenges Related to Old Age
Serious health diagnoses can impact your life in huge ways and may bring concerns you haven’t thought of up to the forefront. One of those concerns, which is often pushed off when everything is going well, is estate planning and/or elder law planning. Planning can...
Solid Retirement Planning with an Estate Planning Attorney in Anchorage
Perhaps one of the best reasons to hire an estate planning attorney in Anchorage is because of what they can do to help with retirement planning. Most of us have a kind of fantasy about what our retirement will look like, but a smart Anchorage estate planning lawyer...
What Does an Anchorage Will and Trust Lawyer Do to Protect Your Will From Being Contested?
While it doesn’t happen in real life as often as it does in the movies and on soap operas, Anchorage wills and trusts lawyers do sometimes have to deal with a contested will. Wills and trusts are created in order to ensure that a deceased’s wishes are followed, as...
Alaska Will and Trust Lawyer Answers: “Our Property is Titled in Joint Tenancy. I Don’t Need a Will, Right?”
The answer to this question and so many other estate planning questions is, “It depends, ....”. It is true that if you own an asset jointly with rights of survivorship in Alaska, the joint tenant will automatically retain ownership of the property when you pass away....
Anchorage Estate Planning Lawyer: How to Use Trusts to Protect Your IRA from an Irresponsible Child
A lot of parents come into our Anchorage estate planning law firm with mixed feelings about passing on the balance of their retirement accounts to their children when they die someday. On one hand they are proud of the money they have saved over their lifetime in an...
Anchorage Elder Law Attorney: Determining Legal Competency for Senior Citizens
Legal competency concerns can lead to issues for senior citizens, during both life and death. This is especially true for financial affairs and disputed inheritances. An Anchorage Elder law attorney must be able to determine a senior’s legal competency in both...
It’s December in Alaska
What are we thinking about? The holidays?, how cold will it be tonight?, what am I grateful for?, what am I going to plant in the garden next spring? will this cold weather give up for a bit and be warm enough for us all to go skiing?, what a year it has been, seems...
Anchorage Trust Lawyer: You May Need Two Guardians for Your Minor Children
People often struggle with deciding who will serve as guardian for their minor children if they pass away. We’ve walked hundreds of Anchorage families through this process. Sometimes, the family situation requires naming not just one guardian, but two. If you leave...
Now Is a Good Time to Review Your Estate Plan
For many of us, the holidays are a time to reflect upon the changes that have taken place over the course of the year. (There is certainly a lot to reflect upon this year!) As estate planning attorneys, the end of the year is a time to remind our clients about the...
What is the Difference Between a Will, a Living Will, and a Pour-Over Will?
These three legal documents have similar names but they are quite different in terms of the estate planning goals they help you accomplish. A will directs how a person’s estate is to be administered and how his or her assets will be distributed after death. The person...
Do You Need a Trust?
One of the first questions many clients ask is whether they need a trust. It's a great question, but it leads to another: What do you want your plan to accomplish? Let's begin with a brief discussion of what trusts are and how they work. Then we'll explore their...
Law Office of Constance A. Aschenbrenner
907-334-9200
205 E. Benson Blvd., Suite 121-D Anchorage, Alaska
