If your family includes someone with a disability who qualifies for government benefits such as Medicaid or SSI, you may want to consider a special needs trust as a part of your estate plan. The government typically only provides for essential needs, so your loved one...
Marks Gray P.A.
Attention Entrepreneurs: Your Estate Plan May Be Outdated
Nine out of ten successful entrepreneurs have an estate plan, according to a recent survey. Unfortunately, 85% of those estate plans are over five years old. Due to changing tax laws, that means most of these entrepreneurs have estate plans that are out of date. That...
Is Flipping the Bird Disorderly Conduct or Protected Speech?
In August of 2014, pastor John Berry asked teachers attending his service to stand and be recognized, and he requested that the congregation pray for their success in the upcoming school year. One church member, homeschooling father David Justin Freeman, did not...
Who Should Receive a Copy of My Estate Plan?
After clients have executed all their estate planning documents, a couple of the most common questions we receive are: “Where do I keep them?” and “Should I give a copy of all of this to my family?” These seem like innocuous questions, but there are important issues...
IRS Provides Help for Those Impacted by Hurricane Irma
As we work to recover from Hurricane Irma, the IRS and Congress have provided some help in the form of extensions for filing returns and paying taxes as well as significant tax relief measures that recently became law. Among other things, these provisions include: New...
Lawsuit Threats from Movie Mogul Weinstein: Are They Real?
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s decades-long pattern of offensive conduct has been widely reported. Both before and after the New York Times published its articles, his attorneys threatened to sue the Times for defamation. It’s hard to imagine how that is a credible...
The Difference Between Fake News and a Media Error: What We Can Learn from Las Vegas and Tom Petty
Fake news. Like the tale of the Trojan Horse, the idea has been around a long time. Only today, fake news moves at light speed. And if we aren’t careful, fake news can deceive us just like the story says the Trojans were tricked centuries ago. Consider two recent...
What to Expect in Your Estate Planning Meeting
Okay, you’ve taken the big step and made an appointment for a free consultation with us. What should you be prepared to discuss when we meet? First, we will ask you some basic information about your assets, liabilities, and family. We are not being nosey. This...