Congress has passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (“SECURE ACT”), effective as of January 1, 2020. The SECURE Act contains some major changes for distributions relating to retirement accounts, including the following:

Stretch payments. In general, a spouse beneficiary can continue to roll over the proceeds...

Originally written by Kim Whitley for Outlook

Estate Planning does not end with signing the documents. The following tips will help your family in the event of death or emergency:

Document Distribution - Make sure you have distributed copies of your Durable Power of Attorney, Health...

Although planning in advance for facility care is best, an unanticipated health event may necessitate instant action to protect assets. Some techniques which may work are set forth below:

Purchasing a one-percent (1%) interest in the homesite or other real property as joint tenants with right of survivorship. If a...

Estate planning is an important legal process for every adult, regardless of age or net worth. While it accomplishes the task of planning for the disposition of your assets, the real goal of estate planning is achieved through the peace of mind it brings to you and your family. Although each estate...

Originally written by Kim Whitley for Outlook Newspaper.

Proper Planning can reduce the difficulty of handling an estate. Avoid these mistakes to make the estate process easier:

1. Not adding beneficiary designations to assets, including bank accounts.

Assets which pass by beneficiary designation...

Originally written by Kim Whitley for Outlook Newspaper.

Handling an estate can be a difficult task. Fortunately, North Carolina offers some “short forms” of estate administration to make the process easier and avoid a full administration:

1. DMV Form MVR-317. If a vehicle is the only asset...

What is “intellectual property?” The World Intellectual Property Organization defines it as “creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names, and images used in commerce” that can be legally protected by copyrights, trademarks, and patents.

The legal protections that defend...

Intellectual property law is crucial to protecting the creative works and inventions that drive entertainment and innovation, but it can be easy to confuse the terms associated with this branch of law. Copyrights, trademarks, and patents, though similar in purpose, offer very different types of protections, and it is important to understand...

Intellectual property law is the branch of law pertaining to the legal rights to creative works and inventions. Three of the most common (and most commonly misunderstood) types of intellectual property are copyrights, trademarks, and patents. It’s easy to be confused by these terms, since they all seem to serve similar purposes,...

As the average life expectancy continues to rise, so does the need for the branch of law known as elder law. This area of law focuses on protecting and advocating for the aging and elderly along with their caretakers and loved ones. It covers a wide range of legal services from basic...