Ethan D. Rector - Cook Rector Pearce

08/30/2021

So apparently August is National Make-A-Will Month. I should have made it a priority to make this announcement earlier, just like the two-thirds of Americans who die without a will should have made it a priority to get one done...

05/08/2021

Beat It, Beat It, the IRS was defeated!

Michael Jackson's Estate won a victory in Tax Court in a first of its kind case valuing a celebrity's likeness and image after his death.

03/27/2021

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) recently introduced an estate tax plan that specifically lists the wealthiest Americans.

01/23/2021

Governor Polis has signed the Colorado Uniform Electronic Wills Act into law. Slowly, but surely, the law begins catching up to the modern world...

Coloradans will likely be able to create, execute and notarize wills without meeting in person — beyond the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

11/21/2020

03/19/2020

This is exactly why more than 95% of the planning I do incorporates children born at a later time. You just never know. If you have a young family and there's a possibility of having more children, you should check your plan documents to make sure they have this flexibility...

The trust set up the Lakers legend was reportedly not updated after the birth of his youngest daughter Capri.

03/17/2020

Now might be a good time to check off some of those "other things" on your bucket list...

Write and execute your last wills and testaments, powers of attorney, and health care proxies.

01/30/2020

A not-so-subtle reminder that it is never too soon to put a plan in place...

Kobe Bryant made an estimated $680 million during his 20-year basketball career between endorsements and his actual salary.

12/19/2019

The expected enactment of the SECURE Act will force many people to re-consider the dispositive provisions of their estate planning documents, including hundreds of my clients...

It is not often that a spending bill in Congress will make regular Americans run...

09/12/2019

Lots of good advice in this article. I have found, surprisingly, that some of the biggest issues arise out of the disposition of personal property. Here's my first rule: Putting post-it notes on the bottom of family heirlooms is not legally binding...

Don't leave your adult children with a mess after you die. Here's what to do now to help your family when you're gone.

02/27/2019

While I can’t say any of my clients have left millions for the care of their pets, there is the occasional six-figure gift. Your fur babies are part of the family. So don’t forget them...

It's rumored that Karl Lagerfeld left millions to his cat. The average person can do the same thing -- minus the millions, of course.

02/20/2019

Arguably the greatest President in American history, a lawyer by trade, neglected to put together even a basic will. That doesn’t give you a pass. Give a gift to your family: Put together an estate plan.

Presidents die with the same concerns as regular citizens. In the trusts and estates world, this means they pass with or without a will.