States differ on their procedures and policies pertaining to the adoption of an individual over the age of majority. In Indiana, for purposes of adoption, a person reaches the age of majority and is considered an “adult” at age eighteen. Adoption of an adult creates the same legal relationship with the adoptive parents as an adoption of a minor child. The individual’s birth certificate and name ...Read More ...
Estate Planning
Guardianship Basics
Sometimes the need arises for a guardianship to be filed for the protection of an incapacitated adult or a minor child. A guardianship is a legal relationship granted by the court that provides the guardian with the ability to act on behalf of the protected person. A guardianship can be granted over the “person,” which is the ability to make decisions about the person’s day-to-day living and their ...Read More ...
Obtaining a Name Change
There are several reasons why an individual may want to change their name or the name of their child. Sometimes, the law allows a person to change their name simply because an event has occurred, such as upon a marriage, divorce, or adoption. A person may wish to change their name for a reason unrelated to those events. Some people wish to take the last name of a step-parent who raised them but ...Read More ...
2018 Retirement Plan Contribution Limits
Retirement plans for most of us are an important part of our estate plan. It may not be exciting but tax law changes to retirement plans can have a lasting and substantial affect on your retirement and estate planning. The IRS has announced 2018 retirement plan contribution limits and there are several changes taking place that may impact your 401(k), IRA, 403(b) or other tax-advantaged retirement ...Read More ...
Powers of Attorney
Indiana law allows the use of power of attorneys. In general, a power of attorney allows you to grant authority to another individual to make decisions on your behalf. There are generally two types of power of attorneys: financial and medical. The use of a durable power of attorney and medical power of attorney can help avoid the need for a guardianship in the event of your disability or ...Read More ...
Protect Yourself from Financial Scams
A total of 143 million American consumers’ personal information was stolen through the Equifax data breach. Hackers infiltrated data systems that included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, driver’s license numbers, and credit card numbers. It is important to act now. Here are some suggestions and steps to help protect your family and yourself from financial scams and the ...Read More ...
