Transferring title to real estate can have a lot of benefits during the lifetime of the owner, but it also comes with some potential hazards you should know about before signing the deed over. Lifetime Transfers as a Planning Strategy Moving your real estate into someone else’s name during your lifetime can certainly make things more streamlined and easier at…

As people get older, the asset succession and access becomes an important topic to address. Unfortunately, most people don’t know what they don’t know when it comes to proper estate planning. A common strategy used by elderly individuals is to add their child(ren) to their house deed and their bank/deposit accounts to “make things easier” for them. Unfortunately, this type…

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it once more: trusts are best used for asset protection, not probate avoidance. But what do I mean by asset protection? I mean structuring the succession of your wealth so that when you’re no longer here, your child(ren) will receive your wealth in a way that supports their growth and shields them from…

Cary, NC Elder Law Attorney Nursing home costs are expensive and only getting worse. In Cary, North Carolina, the average monthly cost of skilled nursing facilities is in excess of $6,000 each month. And while the average person plans pretty adequately for their retirement, very few plan adequately for a disabled retirement or the costs of privately paying for skilled…

When people think of trusts, the first thing that often comes to mind is probate avoidance. While it's true that trusts are commonly used for that purpose, they can also be an excellent tool for protecting your assets from creditors and lawsuits. In fact, many people are surprised to learn that trusts can provide significant asset protection benefits that go…