July Roundup: Hospice, Alzheimer’s and More
At Fleming & Curti, PLC, we are keenly interested in more than the legal aspects of estate planning and also care about broader developments surrounding people who are aging and/or coping with disability. Maybe that’s because we’re naturally curious. But more likely it’s because the firm and most of the attorneys are licensed fiduciaries, and […]
Joint Tenancy Bank Accounts
Do you have a bank account with another person listed as a joint owner? You probably have a joint tenancy bank account. Does that mean that the other owner could empty the account? For that matter, could you? What is a joint tenancy bank account? How do you know if you hold your bank account […]
If You Have Only One Document, Make it Financial Power of Attorney
When most people think about making an “estate plan,” they jump straight to deciding who gets what when they die. But there’s a lot about an estate plan that comes into play when you are alive. The most important: your financial power of attorney. Why the Financial Power of Attorney? Every adult should have a […]
Supreme Court Overrules Taxation of Trust
Last month the United States Supreme Court ruled (unanimously) that North Carolina’s approach to taxation of trusts was impermissible. If it was a 9-0 decision, though, the obvious questions are: Whoever thought North Carolina’s approach to taxation of trusts would be acceptable in the first place? and What difference will this decision actually make for […]
Wins for Assisted Suicide and at Least One Taxpayer
Here’s our round up of the past month’s developments in estate planning and elder law. We touch on elder law issues from assisted suicide to income taxation of trusts and beyond. See an item that might be of interest? Let us know what you think. Another State OKs Assisted Suicide Maine became the latest state […]
Partner Tom Curti Retires
We’ve hinted about it and announced it. We’ve celebrated his career and accomplishments. This week, though, it became final: Tom Curti retires. Tom Curti, Wisconsin transplant In 1973, Tom moved from his native Wisconsin to Tucson in order to attend the University of Arizona College of Law. He had grown up in a small town […]
Filing a Will Contest Before Death of the Signer
There’s one persistent problem with will contests. Academics often refer to the “worst evidence” rule. The person who signed the will can not testify about what they wanted. Wouldn’t it be great if you could take care of a will contest, before death of the signer removes the best evidence? First, though, let us make […]
Planning Is Essential for Second Marriages
Is your current Mr. or Mrs. Right not your first spouse? And do you have kids from another relationship? Second marriages can be wonderfully fulfilling, but step families come with built-in tensions. If this is you, it’s essential to consider an estate plan. Otherwise, the state of Arizona has a plan, and its rules almost […]
Retirement Benefits and Community Property
Arizona is one of the nine U.S. states operating under the principles of “community property.” The basic premise of community property: assets acquired during the period of the marriage are presumed to belong to the marital community (and thus to the spouses equally). There are lots of qualifications and exceptions, but one issue crops up […]
Aretha Franklin’s Wills, Petty Discord & Emma the Dog
Sometimes, you can develop a fondness for tasks that used to seem like a chore. That’s me and the brief. Having spent more than a decade in newspaper journalism, I compiled plenty of news briefs, collections of news of the day each item boiled down to a paragraph or two. These days, news bits are […]