Sharon Ravenscroft Estate Planning Blog

The statutes that govern a limited liability company ("LLC") have been updated in total. Chapter 7 of Title 10 now replaces the prior statut...

The estate tax exclusion has doubled with the new federal tax law which was passed this December 2017.A single person can now pass $11.2 million estat...

Protecting Families with an Estate Plan.   Most people think of Wills and death when they think of estate planning. However, the distribution of ...

The amount that can now be passed estate tax free is $5.45 million. With proper provisions in a trust or Will, a married couple can pass twice that amount or $10.9 million estate tax free when the couple both have died. There has not been any change to the annual present gift exemption which allows $15,000 to be given per recipient each year withou...

Have you been putting off updating your estate planning documents? From now until the end of 2015, any existing clients who sets an appointment to update their estate planning documents this year will receive a 15% discount on the attorney's fees. Are you a new client? Then you will receive at least 10% off the attorney's fees on the whole plan whe...

Newlyweds, who lived together for some time before marrying, might already have estate planning documents which include each of the couple. Nevertheless, the prior documents should be updated to reflect the marriage. Community property laws can change the manner in which estate is applied. The status or description of children or relatives could ne...

Each estate planning document has statutory requirements as to whether one or two witnesses are needed or if a notarized signature is required. These requirements create authenticity and a comfort level so that they can be enforced and followed by courts, financial institutions and health care providers. If someone marks out provisions or writes on...

New to 2015 is that one person can pass an aggregate of $5.43 million estate tax free (last year it was $5.34 million). If you are a couple and have a trust that must split upon the death of one of you, your trust likely should be updated for an optional split. If your estate exceeds what you can pass estate tax free, an irrevocable life insurance ...

Now that Arizona recognizes same-sex marriage it is a good idea to review your estate plan. Do you have a Domestic Partnership Agreement which should become a Pre-Marriage or Post-Marriage Agreement? Do you have joint property that now can be treated as community property? Does a family member have a partner who now legally can be recognized as an ...

Estate planning needs to be more than just a stack of paper. Legal services should be that-- service, including information, advice and a somewhere to call when you have questions how to use your documents. So I provide legal services, and most follow calls are answered without charge, unless new research or documents are needed.