by Ethan Okura | Feb 9, 2017 | Articles
As you may be aware, the United States is one of the most litigious countries in the world. This means more people sue each other in court in the US than almost anywhere else. We have one lawyer for every 252 citizens in the US, as compared to only one lawyer for...
by Ethan Okura | Jan 5, 2017 | Articles
Happy New Year! Here is the 2017 update on important numbers used in Estate Planning and Medicaid Planning in Hawaii. How much money and property can a person have at death without paying estate taxes? At the end of 2012, Congress passed a law making the exemption...
by Ethan Okura | Dec 8, 2016 | Articles
In last month’s article, I wrote about why everyone should have a Will. I didn’t want to bore you with a bunch of technical legal information, but I tried to impress upon you how important it is by sharing stories of how badly things can go wrong when you don’t have a...
by Ethan Okura | Nov 7, 2016 | Articles
How many of you don’t have a Last Will and Testament drawn up? How about your adult children or grandchildren? There are many reasons why people don’t have a Will: Don’t want to think about dying; Fear of cost; Not sure whom to name as beneficiaries or personal...
by Ethan Okura | Oct 11, 2016 | Articles
Have you heard information about Medicaid for nursing home costs from a friend, relative, or neighbor? If so, chances are you’ve also heard one of the Medicaid myths that aren’t true. Here are 4 common misconceptions about qualifying for Medicaid to pay for your...
by Ethan Okura | Sep 9, 2016 | Articles
Today I’m going to talk about the two different systems for recording ownership of real property (land and buildings) in the State of Hawaii. The “Regular System” of recording land ownership comes from the traditional English Common Law and is a...
by Ethan Okura | Aug 5, 2016 | Articles
When a loved one passes away, probably the furthest thoughts from your mind at that time are: How do I access and preserve their digital assets of value? And, what are their passwords? First, let’s define “digital assets.” A strict definition...
by Ethan Okura | Jun 13, 2016 | Articles
I have had several potential clients and even friends ask me my opinion about online, do-it-yourself, estate planning documents. In recent years several websites have popped up offering a glamorous opportunity to prepare your will, trust, and/or other estate planning...
by Ethan Okura | May 10, 2016 | Articles
A few weeks ago, the news media were replete with articles about the highly successful, music genius, rock-legend Prince. He has sadly joined the ranks of world-famous icons who have died leaving fans wanting more. He has also apparently joined the group...
by Ethan Okura | Apr 8, 2016 | Articles
We often see clients who have been advised by someone else that holding bank accounts or real property as “Joint Tenants” (also called “Joint Tenancy”) is a cheap way to avoid probate costs. It’s true that if one of the joint tenants passes away, the other joint...
