Upper Marlboro

Is Your Estate Plan Up-To-Date?:An Estate Planning Checklist

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If you’ve already met with your Maryland estate planning attorney to put together your wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other long-term plans, then congratulations!  You’ve taken a really important step toward being prepared for the future and making things easier on your family and friends should you pass away or become unable to make … Read more

Advice on Using a Safe Deposit Box

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Once you’ve gone through your estate planning, you’ve likely become aware of just what valuables you have.  In many cases, such as jewelry, you may want to keep them in your home so you can have access to them whenever you would like.  In other cases, though, it makes sense to secure them in a … Read more

Elder Lawyer Perspective: Legal Concerns for Caregivers

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Elder lawyers in Maryland work not just with our older clients, but also with their caregivers.  In many cases, this means adult children who have or will be given power of attorney, not to mention those who just step up to help when something is needed.  There are some legal issues which seem to arise … Read more

Sharing Financial and Legal Information with Your Family

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Every family has its own approach when it comes to talking about financial and legal information.  Will and trust lawyers see everything from very open and transparent situations to those where discussions of money are considered taboo.  In reality, families which are at the estate planning phase should be having at least some superficial conversations … Read more

Using a Pet Trust as Part of Your Estate Planning

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No matter how much you love your pets and feel they are “part of the family,” they are generally seen as property by Maryland courts and are therefore treated accordingly.  This can cause some concern for pet owners who want to ensure their pets are well-cared-for and able to transition as smoothly as possible after … Read more

How to Start Conversations with Your Aging Parents

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There are several aspects of estate planning in Maryland that are less than fun, and that means that a lot of people choose to put the process off indefinitely.  There’s the need to gather a lot of documentation together, pay for an estate planning attorney, and not insignificantly, to contemplate one’s own death.  Adult children … Read more

How To Tell If Your Loved One’s Finances Are Out of Control

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Elder law attorneys in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County, focus on bridging the generations, and because of that, we understand many of the nuances that create a disconnect between adult children and their aging parents.  One major issue can be that of finances.  In the older generation, it is still considered fairly taboo to discuss … Read more

When Mental Decline Derails Your Estate Plan

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Wills and trust attorneys in Upper Marlboro, Prince George’s County, can tell you that there is little as frustrating (and potentially devastating!) as someone who waits until it’s “too late” to start the estate planning process.  Mental decline is a common part of aging, and it is an unfortunate fact that when this decline starts … Read more

Working With An Wills and Estates Lawyer To Leave Behind an Intangible Legacy

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When it comes to leaving an inheritance for our children, many parents automatically think of leaving cash, properties and life insurance proceeds behind.  But for kids who find themselves devastated after the loss of a parent, it’s often intangible assets that carry the most value and provide deep comfort during such a difficult time. These … Read more

Be Organized and Ready When Meeting With Your Trust and Estates Attorney

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To better streamline the Maryland estate planning process, it can be incredibly helpful to do a bit of organizing before meeting with your attorney.

This allows you to feel confident in what you’re doing, as well as minimize the time spent on the task at hand.  Both you and your lawyer will benefit from clear, concise communication, and if anything is missing, it will be considerably easier to discover and remedy the situation up front.  A Bethesda or Largo trust and estates lawyer would advise you to consider all of these things in preparation for your meeting.

First, compile a list of your assets and liabilities.  Doing this in advance, rather than waiting to be directed by your estate planning lawyer can save a fair amount of time.  Again, if you’ve overlooked something, the attorney will likely be able to point it out, but you won’t have to go through the basics during your consultation time.  Some of the assets and liabilities you’ll want to include are:

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