Do I Need an Estate Planning or Probate Lawyer?
The focus of estate planning and probate is on the individual. Whether you need an attorney to help draft a will, create a family trust, or file a probate action in the probate courts. Estate [...]
DTI: What All Home Buyers Must Know About Debt-To-Income Ratio
What is DTI? If you are applying for a home loan, you will likely hear the term DTI. DTI stands for the debt-to-income ratio. Your debt-to-income ratio tells lenders how much money you owe other [...]
Navigating the Home Buying Process: From Making an Offer to Managing Your Mortgage
How to make a competitive offer on a home? In a buyer’s market, you may be able to make a low offer, tack on additional contingencies, and ask the seller to pay closing costs. But, [...]
7 Smartphone Apps To Help Optimize Your Finances
Optimizing finances doesn’t have to be difficult. There are countless smartphone apps for both Android and iPhone users that can help you manage your personal finances. Here, we’ll discuss seven of them. 1. Flipp Food, [...]
How does a qualified personal residence trust (QPRT) work?
Ordinarily, if someone transfers assets in which he or she retains an interest, the value of the retained interest is ignored for gift tax purposes. In other words, the value of the gift is the [...]
How To Avoid First-Time Home Buyer Mistakes
It can be a thrill to be a first-time home buyer, but might also be a challenging experience. Unless you have done a lot of research, the home buying journey can feel overwhelming. Don’t make [...]
What is the difference between testate and intestate?
What is the difference between testate and intestate? A person who dies without a will is known as dying intestate. But, if someone passes away with a will is known as dying testate. The most [...]
Making The Complex Simple by Translating The Mortgage Jargon
While applying for a home loan, at first, it may seem like mortgage professionals are speaking a foreign language. You will probably hear terms like PMI, LTV, and FICO thrown around and wonder if you [...]
What is the best way to avoid probate?
Avoiding Probate Many people want to avoid probate for the following reasons: It is expensive. It takes time. It is public. An estimate of the value of your assets is filed, and an [...]
What is Generation-Skipping Tax (GST)?
People can give property directly to their grandchildren and keep the property out of their children's taxable estates. Because of this, Congress enacted the generation-skipping tax on lifetime or death gifts that skip [...]
