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People talk about intellectual property rights all the time, but what exactly are intellectual property rights? More specifically, what rights do you have to your written materials, i.e. your books, manuals, blog articles, website content etc.? “Intellectual property”...

All right, you have successfully assigned your copyright(s) to your trust (if you haven’t done this yet, please see my previous article on putting a copyright into your trust). Now you want to update your registration with the Copyright Office to show that the...

A very common question I hear when people sign their trust is, “Do I need to get a tax ID for my trust?” In most cases the answer is no. Let me explain why. In estate planning, the most common kind of trust is the revocable grantor trust (there are a few other names...

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. In keeping with tradition, this final blog post of the year highlights the blog articles that got the most attention this past year. I hope you enjoy this trip down Memory Lane! Top blog posts for 2022 How Do I Put a...

I have been contacted on multiple occasions by prospective clients who learned after a loved one’s death that they would inherit nothing from the deceased person (decedent). This can be a very painful discovery, particularly if the decedent and the prospect were...

My sister inspired this blog article when she noticed a trend in the knitting world.  She saw several social media posts where knitters saw a design they liked, reverse-engineered it, and then gave away the pattern or offered it for sale. She asked me about the...

Estate Administration Basics: What To Do After a Loved One Dies Losing a loved one is one of the most emotional times a person can go through. Dealing with their material possessions (i.e. the estate) shouldn’t be an additional burden, but it frequently is. Most...

When Should I Register My Trademark? Before jumping into the details of trademark registration, it’s important to remember what a trademark is and why having one is important. A trademark serves as a source identifier in the marketplace, so buyers know who they’re...

I see a lot of confusion regarding defamation, libel, and slander. People usually know the terms are related, but they’re not sure how or what they actually mean. Let me break it down. Defamation is the spreading of false facts (i.e. lies, but lying sounds bad, so...