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Estates & Trusts

• Tax Court Case Alert: Gifts of Limited Partnership (FLP) Interests Fail to Qualify for Annual Exclusion
• Should I Make Gifts In 2010? The How and Why of Gifting In The Current Environment
• Alert: PA Case Evidences Need To Review Tax Clause In Your Will
• Announcing Our Complimentary Will and Trust Review Clinic and Appointments
• PA Case Law Update: Your Joint Accounts Might Not Pass To Surviving Joint Owner

Blog for Wills and Trusts

• Why Update Your Will? In This Case Your Head Might Be Frozen
• Why Old Trusts Might Cost Yor Estate Money and Why You Still Need A Will
• Do On Line Wills Really Work? LAwyers vs. The Wall Street Journal Consumer Columnist on Self Help Wills
• Edward Kennedy's Will and The Estate Planning Lessons You Should Heed
• Protecting Your Estate Plan and Will From Challenges
• Is Your Estate Plan or Will Bullet Proof? Preventing Successful Will Challenges
• Why You Need A Will - According To USA Today
• Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts In Pennsylvania
• Why Your Will Might Not Work?
• My Wife and Kids Get it Right? Guess Again. No will or an out dated will May Not Work.
• Can you make your heirs smoke to inherit your stuff?

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Library for Wills and Trusts:

• Senator Edward Kennedy's Will - Probated [PDF]   
  Description: This is Senator Edward Kennedy's will as offered for probate. It contains som interesting lessons and information.
• Worried that you have kids - older or just born but haven't done your will or updated it? Want a reminder of what you need to do right now? Feel better. Just download this easy reminder list on what and how you name a guardian, update your will, pick an executor [PDF]   
  Description: This check list lets you know and reminds you of what to do to do a will or to update your will, trust, or estate plan. This is especially important when you have children. Copy it, print it, and follow the list to protect your kids.
• Get Grandma The Right Advisor To Avoid Trust Mill and Sales Scams   
  Description: Many elderly people are falling victims to trust mills and trust "salesmen" posing as "certified trust advisers" and selling form trusts and expensive products to the elderly either at seminars or in their homes. Some states, including PA have moved to sue these fraudulent players to protect the elderly.
• Basic Estate Planning   
  Description: What are the basic planning tools and what problems do they solve? What do many Pennsylvania residents fail to do that can cause problems? How do the best will attorneys in Chester, Montgomery, Delaware and Philadelphia counties protect their clients' and clients' estates?
• Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts   
  Description: Both Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts are important tools in your Pennsylvania Estate Planning. This article explores what is a Revocable and Irrevocable Trust.
• Who Has The Right to Inherit In Pennsylvania   
  Description: Under Pennsylvania law your will might not always work. This article explores laws that might override a Pennsylvania will and how you can still keep control of your estate plan and carry out your wishes.
• Courts Deciding Cases Involving Gay Marriages and Probate Issues   
  Description: Many courts are beginning to confront the issues created by some states and countries recognizing gay marriage while others do not. Issues such as wills, and medical and business powers of attorney are beginning to be decided by local and appellate courts. The mixed results show the need for gay couples in Pennsylvania with and without children to do effective will and trust planning. There are best practices for gay and lesbian couple from Pennsylvania to consider in their will, trust, and estate planning.
• Enhanced Estate Planning To Pass On Finacial Wealth and Wisdom [PDF]   
  Description: In this Interview David M Frees III describes how to take your estate planning to the next level and to protect your families values, knowledge and wisdom for generations to come.
• Why You Need to Review Your Estate Plan Now [PDF]   
  Description: In this newletter:
  - How your present wills and trusts may be structured now
  - Why you might modify them for Increased Flexibility
  - Why mandatory funding of trusts might still make sense for some clients
  - Why you need to review beneficiary designations and ownership of joint assets

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Frequent Questions for Wills and Trusts:

• Which is Better The Will or Revocable Living Trust?  The probate vs. non probate debate continues.
• If we have a child named as a beneficiary of an account or POD (Pay On Death) and that child goes into bankruptcy, can our assets be taken away?
• Will I save estate taxes by creating a revocable trust?
• Do I give up control to my trustee if I create a revocable or living trust?
• Can my spouse and I do one revocable trust for both of us?
• What is a pour-over will?
• Is a safety deposit box frozen at death under Pennsylvania law?

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Videos about Wills and Trusts:

• Bullet Proof Your Will From Challenges Part 1 of 5
• Protecting Against Will Challenges- When to Use a Trust (Part 2 of 5)
• Beneficiary Designation and Protecting Your Estate (Part 3 of 5)
• What your Attorney should do to Prevent Challenges to your Will (Part 4 of 5)
• Preventing Challenges to Your Will- Following State Law (Part 5 or 5)
• More Information About Why You Need A Will
• Understanding the GRAT Grantor Retained Annuity Trust

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Web Resources for Wills and Trusts:

• Legalese and Estate Planning Definitions

  Description: Great definitions of legal terminology on wills, trusts, and estates.

• Why You May Need A Will If You Have A Living Trust

  Description: Wonder why you might need a will even if you have a trust?
  
  Want to know why it might cost you more money to have an old trust?
  
  This article gives you the answers to thsoe and other trust and will questions

• Information on Planned Giving Tools and Techniques

  Description: This is a very information rich source of planned giving news, advice and techniques.

• Dave Frees on Beneficary Controlled Trusts - Protecting Your Heirs From Divorce

  Description: In this brief video, David M. Frees III describes how the best trust for your heirs might be an asset protection trust. Worried that an heir might lose his or her inheritance to a divorce or lawsuit? This video has the answers for protecting your heirs.

• The GRAT Grantor Retained Annuity Trust

  Description: In this blog and video David M. Frees III of Unruh, Turner, Burke and Frees explains the uses of the GRAT and how it can work to move assets to the next generation. Pennsylvania residents looking for the best estate planning techniques should consider the GRAT to move assets at their current low values and given the historic low interest rates.

• Estate and Trust Blog

  Description: More articles and information on the best will lawyer, best trust lawyer, and best estate lawyers in Chester and Montgomery County Pennsylvania and other topics including elder law, nursing home care, asset protection, and trust planning.

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David M. Frees III is Chairman of the Trust, Estates, and Wealth Preservation section of Unruh, Turner Burke and Frees with offices serving all of South Eastern Pennsylvania including Chester County, Montgomery County, Berks and Bucks counties, Philadelphia and Lancaster counties including Malvern, Phoenixville, West Chester, Devon, Berwyn, Chester Springs, Doylestown, Kennet, and many more communities.

David Frees is rated highly by Martidale.com and has attained the highest rating by AVVO.  His rating of 10 (Superb) on a scale of 1-10 and client and lawyer reviews be viewed here.

You can schedule a consultation in person, or by phone with David Frees through his assistants/paralegals Donna, Denise, and Tara at 610-933-8069.

David can also be reached by email at dfrees@utbf.com

Please note, however, that David meets with many clients each week and in order to give them his full attention, he is not always availble to reply immediatly to cell phone or email requests.  However, immediate assistance can always be reached through 610-933-8069.

David Frees is a prolific author on legal topics and in addition to the articles and blogs featured on this site, please feel free to view his postings at http://www.utbf.com/trust-estate

For more info from David M. Frees, III

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