Estate planning, explained
Short, factual guides — no fluff. Every figure is sourced from a primary reference: the IRS, state statutes, federal regulations, or the Uniform Law Commission.
Where does your plan stand?
Take the 20-point Estate Readiness Checklist — or join The Memory, one digest a month.
Core documents
Last Will & Testament
What a will actually controls, what makes one legally valid, and what happens if you die without one.
Revocable Living Trust
How a living trust can avoid probate, what it doesn't do by itself, and why proper funding matters.
Durable Power of Attorney
Who manages your finances if you can't. What "durable" means, what your agent may do, and the duties they owe you.
What is the difference between a durable and general power of attorney?
"Durable" and "general" describe different features of a power of attorney. Here is what each word means and why the distinction matters.
How to choose an executor (and what they actually do)
Naming a trusted relative is only the start. Here is what an executor actually does and what to discuss before making the nomination.
Advance Healthcare Directive
Living wills and healthcare agents: who decides about your medical care when you can't, and how to make it stick.
HIPAA Authorization
What a HIPAA authorization permits, what it must contain, and how it differs from healthcare decision-making authority.
Guardianship for Minor Children
How to nominate a guardian, how much weight courts give your choice, and why the money should be handled separately.
Entities
LLC vs C-Corp vs S-Corp
How LLC, C-corporation, and S-corporation treatment differ for family holdings and operating companies.
Holding company vs operating company
Why families often separate ownership (holdco) from day-to-day business risk (opco) — and how that maps to Elephant's entity registry.
Home state vs Delaware incorporation
When forming in Delaware actually helps — and when a solo founder in Georgia (or any home state) is better off incorporating locally.
Delaware vs Wyoming vs home state
Tradeoffs among common formation states for holding companies and startups — general information, not a recommendation for your facts.
Entity formation checklist
The practical sequence from name clearance through bank account — the same steps Elephant tracks in the entity checklist.
Funding your entity
Formation papers do not move assets by themselves — how to title property, assign interests, and keep the inventory honest.
Taxes
What is the federal estate-tax exemption — and what happened to the 2026 sunset?
For years, planners warned of a "cliff" that would cut the lifetime exemption in half. Here is what the basic exclusion amount is, why the sunset mattered, and what Public Law 119-21 changed for 2026.
When do you need to file Form 709 for a gift?
The 2026 annual exclusion is $19,000 per recipient — but a single check above that line can trigger a gift-tax return even when you owe no tax. Here is what counts, what does not, and how Form 709 uses your lifetime exemption.
How does an ILIT keep life insurance out of your taxable estate?
Life-insurance death benefits are generally excluded from income, but policy ownership can still cause estate-tax inclusion. Here is how ILIT ownership, the three-year rule, and premium gifts work.
Estate & Gift Taxes in 2026
The 2026 federal basic exclusion is $15 million for a U.S. citizen or resident for estate-and-gift-tax purposes. The numbers that matter, portability, and the state-level layer.
Process
What happens to your 401(k) or IRA when you die?
Retirement accounts generally follow beneficiary designations and governing terms rather than a will. Here is how spouse and non-spouse rules differ after the SECURE Act.
Digital assets in your estate plan (passwords, crypto, accounts)
Email, cloud drives, crypto wallets, and photo libraries do not pass like a house deed. Here is how fiduciary-access laws, custodian tools, and a practical inventory keep your Herd from getting locked out.
Estate planning checklist for new parents
A birth or adoption is the right trigger — not a tax cliff. Here is the Essentials path for households with children under 18: guardianship, will, healthcare, POA, beneficiaries, and life insurance coordination.
How to talk to your parents about their estate plan
An Askari guide: start the conversation without a lecture, ask for documents and people (not balances), and bring Matriarchs and Patriarchs into a shared household system.
Probate & Beneficiary Designations
What probate involves, which assets commonly pass outside it, and how beneficiary forms interact with a will.
State guides
Estate planning is state law. What your state requires, what it taxes, and how probate works there.
Estate planning in Delaware
What Delaware requires for a valid will, which documents the state recognizes, and why Delaware has no estate or inheritance tax.
Estate planning in Georgia
What Georgia requires for a valid will, which incapacity documents the state recognizes, and why Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.