Should You Have a Living Trust?

Long H. Duong, Esq. Estate Planning

Living Trusts, also known as “Revocable Trusts” are estate planning tools that can be incredibly useful but are often misunderstood. If you don’t understand why you have a trust, that’s a problem. Consider talking to the attorney who drafted it or the LegalZoom representative who sold you one (just kidding). First, it should be clear that there are many, many …

Talk to Your Aging Parents About Estate Planning

How to Talk to Aging Parents About Estate Planning

Long H. Duong, Esq. Estate Planning

It’s not easy. And the usual response I hear is that nobody wants to talk about such a morbid topic. Remember though that estate planning isn’t only about post-mortem affairs. Planning for disability or  other complications before death are all part of the estate planning process. Statistically, you and everyone else on this planet will become significantly disabled or incapacitated, long before …

End of life issues can be complicated

Long H. Duong, Esq. Living Will Leave a Comment

I shy away from scare tactics, but the latest story about Marlise Munoz – a 33 year old and 22 weeks pregnant woman is horrifying.  A judge in Texas has (reluctantly, I’m sure) ordered that she be taken off of life support. This isn’t a story about the importance of having documents like a “Health Care Surrogate Designation” (though you …

Florida Homestead Property and Estate Planning

Long H. Duong, Esq. Estate Planning Leave a Comment

I recently wrote about probate and homestead property over at our sister site, WeProbateFlorida.com. It’s worth a look if you’re wondering what happens if you don’t create an estate plan at all and the property remains in your name after you  pass. In the coming days, I’ll address the nuances of owning and titling real estate so that it effectively …