SoMD Estate Planning

Estate Planning Attorneys in Southern Maryland

living trust

The Estate Planning Implications of Owning Property in Multiple States

If you own real property in more than one state — perhaps a vacation home at the beach or inherited land in another state — your estate could face ancillary probate in each state where you own property. This means multiple court proceedings, multiple sets of legal fees, and multiple delays. A revocable living trust solves this problem by holding all your real property in one trust, regardless of location, avoiding probate in every state.

At SoMD Estate Planning, we stay current on evolving legal issues to protect Southern Maryland families. Contact us about our $1,500 flat-fee estate plan.

Estate Planning for Pet Owners: Providing for Your Animals After You Are Gone

Maryland law allows you to create a pet trust — a legally enforceable arrangement that provides for the care of your animals after you die or become incapacitated. You can name a caretaker, set aside funds for food, veterinary care, and other expenses, and designate a trustee to manage the funds. Without a plan, your pets could end up at a shelter. Whether you have dogs, cats, horses, or other animals, including them in your estate plan is an act of love.

At SoMD Estate Planning, we stay current on evolving legal issues to protect Southern Maryland families. Contact us about our $1,500 flat-fee estate plan.

Joint Ownership vs. Trusts: Which Is Better for Avoiding Probate?

Both joint ownership and trusts can help your assets avoid probate, but they work very differently and carry different risks. Joint tenancy with right of survivorship is simple — the surviving owner automatically gets the property. But it exposes the asset to the co-owner’s creditors, potential lawsuits, and divorce proceedings. It can also create unintended gift tax consequences. A revocable living trust avoids these risks while providing the same probate avoidance benefit, plus incapacity protection and privacy.

At SoMD Estate Planning, we stay current on evolving legal issues to protect Southern Maryland families. Contact us about our $1,500 flat-fee estate plan.

Estate Planning for Grandparents: Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations

Grandparents play a unique role in estate planning — you want to provide for grandchildren while navigating complex family dynamics and tax considerations. Options include setting up education trusts or 529 plans, making annual exclusion gifts, creating generation-skipping trusts for larger estates, leaving specific bequests in your will, and naming grandchildren as trust beneficiaries with age-appropriate distribution schedules. Consider how gifts to grandchildren interact with your children’s inheritance.

At SoMD Estate Planning, we help families across Southern Maryland create comprehensive, personalized plans. Contact us about our $1,500 flat-fee estate plan.

How to Fund a Revocable Living Trust: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a revocable living trust is only half the job — the trust only controls assets that have been transferred into it. Funding your trust means re-titling assets in the trust’s name. For real estate, this requires recording a new deed. Bank and investment accounts need to be retitled or have the trust named as beneficiary. Retirement accounts typically name the trust as contingent beneficiary. Personal property can be transferred via an assignment document. Any assets left outside the trust at death must go through probate.

At SoMD Estate Planning, we help families across Southern Maryland create comprehensive, personalized plans. Contact us about our $1,500 flat-fee estate plan.