"WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW" TOPICAL Q&A ARTICLES

BRIEF AND TO THE POINT.

ESTATE PLANNING

• Estate Planning (in general)
• Health Care Powers of Attorney
• Financial Powers of Attorney
• Living Wills
• Revocable Living Trusts
• Beneficiary Deeds
• Trust Funding
• Ways to Title a Bank Account in Arizona
  
• Ways to Title a Car, RV, or Mobile Home in Arizona
  
• Naming Minor Children as Beneficiaries in an Estate Plan
  
• Naming Adult Children as Beneficiaries in an Estate Plan
  
• Estate Taxes
  
• Credit Shelter Trusts
  
• Inheritance Protection Trusts
  
• Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
  
• IRA Protection Trusts
  
• Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRT)
  
• Sales to Intentionally Defective Grantor Trusts (IDGT)
  
• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRT)
  
• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT)
  
• Lifetime QTIP Trusts
  
• Pet Trusts
  
• NFA Gun Trusts
  
• Trust Protectors
  
• Buy-Sell Agreements
  
• Effect of Divorce on an Estate Plan
  
• Designating Beneficiaries of ASRS Benefits
  

ESTATE SETTLEMENT

• Probate in Arizona
• Small Estate Affidavits in Arizona
• Final Arrangements and Organ Donation
  
• Trust Beneficiary Notices and Trustee Reports
  
• Annuities after the Owner's Death
  
• IRA Distributions after the Owner's Death
  
• Debts of a Deceased Person in Arizona
  
• Transferring Arizona Real Estate of a Deceased Nonresident
  
• Tax Filings for an Estate in Arizona
  
• Duties of a Trustee (in 200 Words or Less)
  

ASSET PROTECTION

• Asset Protection Exemptions
  
• Family LLCs
  
• Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts
  
• Protecting a Home from Future Unknown Creditors
  
• Corporations
  

OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST

A Closer Look at IRA Protection Trusts

By: Thomas J. Bouman

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This popular 14 page article takes an in-depth look at the IRA Protection Trust, a sophisticated estate planning technique intended to coordinate the administration and distribution of IRA assets after death.  I originally wrote this article in 2006 and have updated it regularly ever since.




Five Alternatives to Leaving Inheritance Outright

By: Thomas J. Bouman

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Any simple will can leave inheritance outright to a beneficiary.  But is it really the best option?  Probably not.  What if you have a favorite charity or cause that you want to support, or your beneficiary is under age 18 or mentally-disabled or physically-disabled or a spendthrift or irresponsible or likely to get divorced or dealing with creditor and bankruptcy issues, or in a high risk profession for getting sued, or very wealthy, or married to someone you don't trust, or receiving needs-based government benefits, or unable or unwilling to take over management of whatever property or business you currently own, or you just think it would be unwise to leave a windfall to someone in one lump sum.  These are some of the reasons to consider an alternative to leaving inheritance outright to a beneficiary. 

Lifetime Asset Protection Strategies for Arizona Residents

By: Thomas J. Bouman

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This article describes two asset protection strategies that you can implement right now.  Both are proven to work, although they are not overly exotic, nor are they very difficult to administer.




Memorandum to Banks and Credit Unions Regarding Re-Titling of Personal Cash Accounts into Living Trust

By: Thomas J. Bouman

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The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to banking professionals when a client of my law firm requests a bank or credit union to re-title personal cash accounts into a revocable living trust for estate planning purposes. 



Memorandum to Banks and Credit Unions Regarding Adding Agent to Account using Power of Attorney

By: Thomas J. Bouman

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The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance to banking professionals when a client of my law firm requests a bank or credit union to add an agent under power of attorney to a personal account.  This is often used when a client needs to remove a child as joint owner and then add the child as agent instead.