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As I mentioned, I grew up on a small family farm in central Ohio. My dad had bought the land and everything that went with it. Like many farms of that time, my family ran the farm while my parents worked jobs earning the money that supported us. The farm was not a hobby. It was a real working farm ...

Ben Franklin once experienced a constant harassment from an important and powerful political opponent. Franklin was aware that his opponent possessed an unusual and rare book, and he asked his opponent if he might borrow the book. His opponent agreed to the loan. Franklin returned it in due course, having taken good care of it along the way. Thereafter, his ...

The Last Will and Testament is the primary planning document specifying the transfer of property from a deceased person's estate to his beneficiaries. It also can name a guardian for minor children or dependents, while providing other direction to courts for their care. (It may include a "Testamentary Trust" to provide for the minor's or dependent's financial estate.)

The above concerns and documents are often affected by unique aspects of a client's situation. These may include tax issues where the property is significant; family law issues, such as a blended family or situations requiring separate financial controls, gifting intent as between spouses to their families, or disability of a family member, to name a few.

Benjamin Franklin famously observed that the only thing certain in life is death and taxes. What he's less famous for, is that he was also the inventor of life insurance.

Alice was 70 years of age when she retired from work. Far from spending her golden years relaxing, though, what this really meant was that she was no longer physically able to work and had to rely on her Social Security check as her only income.

Gene Wilder, the successful actor and comedian who recently passed away, once described how-when he was a child-he'd helped care for his mother. She had been extremely ill with a heart condition. His mother's physician, upon examining her, warned the young Wilder to be good... or he could kill his mother.

"I just need a simple will," the woman on the phone said. "How much will that cost?" she asked. I'll call her "Wilma," and she called me, saying she had been referred by a mutual friend. We had not yet discussed Wilma's situation at all, but it seemed that she'd already decided her will would not be complex. I felt ...

The term “litigation” refers the process of taking legal action in a court of law. The word means all legal actions required or taken before, during and after trial affecting an individual’s legal rights due to a trial, including pleadings, discovery, investigation of litigation facts, and pre-trial, trial, settlement and appellate representation of the client.

Estate Planning generally is accepted to refer to planning for an end game, the end of life and what happens to your property. However, it is more than that, and involves more than a Will. One of the directives ordinarily discussed during estate planning with an attorney is “Do Not Resuscitate Orders”, also know