Introducing the CPMT Podcast: Your New Legal Learning Hub

As estate planning attorneys, we understand that meeting with a lawyer for the first time can be an intimidating experience. Many people are unsure of what to expect and are nervous about the process. However, we want to assure you that our firm is a welcoming and comfortable place where you can feel at ease discussing your estate planning needs.

Estate planning is something that many people don't like to think about, but it's a crucial step in ensuring that your loved ones are taken care of after you're gone.

My whole life, I have loved Dolly Parton. She is an absolute queen, and she is a very thoughtful planner. 

Not only has Dolly thought through how her charities and estate will be carried out after she is no longer with us, but she has also picked her last song and the last thing she wants to say to everybody. She has locked all of this in a box and it’s sitting at the DreamMore Resort. 

When a client owns his own business and calls to tell me he's thinking about taking on a partner and that he also wants to set up his business to sell within the next five to 10 years, the first conversation we have is on how to set up the agreement between him and the partner, why? It's vital for several reasons, check out some things you can avoid by having the right agreement in place, early on in the process, below.

I don't work with public companies, but I do observe the general economic conditions. Right now, the stock market has tanked, and inflation has continued to go up. The world is in a chaotic space right now. Many of my corporate clients are looking for opportunities to sell their businesses. 

Prince Rogers Nelson notoriously litigated furiously and made a lot of lawyers very rich, but he never drew up a will. I, like many others, was convinced for the longest time that there would be this tiny county attorney who would come forward with Prince's will, but it never happened. 

The number one mistake business owners make is waiting too long to begin the exit planning process. If you wait until the last minute to start exit planning then you might get less value out of your business than you would have otherwise. This could be because you didn't do proper tax planning and therefore the tax effects of the transaction are not favorable to you.