The Statute of Elizabeth: What You Need to Know About Transferring Assets
What if you owed someone a lot of money, but you didn’t want to pay them back? You might try to put your assets somewhere they couldn’t be touched; for...
Transmutation: When Non-Marital Property Becomes Marital Property
Consider this: Sandra and James have been married for 25 years. Once they were married, she gave up her job to become a stay-at-home mom. When the kids were old...
Avoid the Pitfalls of Estate Planning in “Brady Bunch Marriages”
“Brady Bunch marriages” – in which spouses bring their kids from prior relationships into the new marriage – pose a number of potential problems when it comes to estate planning....
The Unintended Consequences of Bad Estate Planning
We always advise people to get estate planning done. If you don’t decide what will happen to your assets upon your death, the state will decide for you. But sometimes,...
What to Know About Estate Taxes for Estate Planning
An estate tax is levied on an estate of a certain value. Because the tax rate is so high – up to 40% – it’s smart to do what you...
What Happens if You Die in South Carolina Without a Will?
You may be wondering what happens if you die in South Carolina without a will. If that happens, your surviving spouse will get 50% of your estate, and your children...
The 5 Essential Estate Planning Documents
When you come to Gem McDowell Law Group to work on your estate plan, we discuss five documents together: a will, a trust, a living will, a healthcare power of...
Should I Use LegalZoom to Create My Will?
Should you trust your estate planning documents to DIY legal sites like LegalZoom? Short answer: Probably not. Every person is different. Every family situation is different. And if you have...
