Forming An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)

An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust, or ILIT, should be of interest to any person buying life insurance. The ILIT is not just for people with estate tax issues. The ILIT can allow you to control how and when insurance proceeds are distributed to beneficiaries. Rather than going straight to the beneficiary, the insurance company pays the proceeds into a trust that then pays the amounts to the beneficiary as quickly or as slowly as you decide. Such a trust can be particularly beneficial when the potential beneficiary is younger, may have potential marital issues, or has difficultly managing money. Continue reading “Forming An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)”

Commercial Leases – Drafting and Review

Locating a property or a tenant for leasing can be a very time-consuming process, so it’s understandable that parties often rush to get the lease signed; however, having a good lease agreement that’s been drafted and reviewed by an attorney can be essential.  If issues or disputes arise between the landlord and tenant, it will be too late to address problems with the lease agreement.

Almost everyone has had the opportunity to review a lease during their life, but commercial leases are far more complex.  Further, consumer protection laws that save renters from bad landlords often only apply to residential leases, not commercial.  With commercial leases, the laws generally assume you are a sophisticated business person and were not “taken advantage of” if your landlord or tenant gives you an unfair lease agreement. Continue reading “Commercial Leases – Drafting and Review”

Not Having a Will in Maryland

Many wonder what happens if you die without a Will. Each state, including Maryland, has its own laws that determine what happens to the person’s estate. The differences between each state’s laws do cause confusion, and your assumptions about Maryland’s laws may be incorrect and can cause incredibly negative problems.

When someone dies without a Will, the rules governing the estate are called “intestate laws”. When intestate laws apply, the deceased person may be referred to as having “died intestate” and having left an “intestate estate”. Your state’s intestate laws serve essentially as your Will if your family cannot provide an actual Will. Maryland’s intestate laws are often not what most people expect. Continue reading “Not Having a Will in Maryland”

Didn’t File Tax Returns? The IRS Offers Solutions for Nonfilers

Whether on purpose or by mistake, taxpayers sometimes find themselves years behind on filing their tax returns.  Sometimes people are lucky and decide on their own to file past due tax returns and move on with their life.  Others have the decision made for them when an IRS agent knocks on their door.  Regardless, when you are significantly behind on your tax return filings, you should seek professional help to ensure you can minimize penalties and, hopefully, reduce the taxes you need to pay. Continue reading “Didn’t File Tax Returns? The IRS Offers Solutions for Nonfilers”

Family Business Succession Planning

Small businesses comprise a significant portion of our economy. Unfortunately, most small businesses do not survive into the next generation of owners. The hard work and legacy of the current and prior generations can be wasted without proper planning.

Small business owners often feel they have sufficient time to begin making the transition and will delay the necessary steps until some fateful event forces them into acting. This leaves little or no time to prepare the business and the family for the burdens, both financial and managerial, that can be caused by a sudden and unplanned transfer. Continue reading “Family Business Succession Planning”

Business Contract Drafting and Review

Having your contracts being prepared by an attorney gives you the assurance it not only can be enforced in court but can also help you avoid court altogether.   Properly prepared contracts also can improve the professional appearance of your business.  For different reasons, people often attempt to create their own contracts or recycle agreements they find in the Internet.  Companies that prepare their own documents without an attorney to at minimum review them roll the dice both on their contracts’ appropriateness and enforceability.   Continue reading “Business Contract Drafting and Review”

Taxes and Bankruptcy in Maryland

Despite common belief, taxes can be discharged sometimes through either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy.  In fact, bankruptcy is often the best option for many with tax debts.  A tax attorney will typically be familiar with both the tax law and non-tax law options available to you and should be able to point you toward the best solution. Continue reading “Taxes and Bankruptcy in Maryland”

Streamline Your Company’s Legal Structure for Savings

In our modern economy, companies should attempt to cut costs wherever possible.  But at some point companies hit a wall where additional cost reductions do not seem possible.  Often, these cost walls develop because of overly complex corporate structures.  Entities that were formerly useful can become burdens when their purpose disappears.  Sometimes these entities remain from a merger or acquisition or may have been formed to facilitate a now defunct tax strategy or to hold a formerly important line of business.  To get to the next level of cost savings, it is often necessary to look at the company’s legal structure, the company’s backbone. Continue reading “Streamline Your Company’s Legal Structure for Savings”

Buy-Sell Agreements

Persons holding equity interests in a business can use a buy-sell agreement to ensure the continuity of the business and to solidify their expectations regarding the taxes, rights, and obligations of each party.  The buy-sell agreement can dictate the method by which a person’s equity interest will be purchased.  Buy-sell agreements can be used by nearly any type of entity, regardless of whether the entity is a corporation, LLC, or partnership.

Continue reading “Buy-Sell Agreements”

Maryland Divorce & Tax Issues

A divorce comes with many difficult challenges, but those involved also need to consider the tax consequences of the divorce.  Tax issues can result from a number of areas.  Of course, the parties will no longer be able to use their married status for their tax returns, but the divorce property settlement itself can cause problems if the tax consequences of the settlement are ignored. Continue reading “Maryland Divorce & Tax Issues”