Tag: Stephen B. Yim

  • Legal: The Family Meeting

    Clients often ask me, “Do you do like they do in the movies, where the attorney sits with the family and reads the will after someone dies?” I tell them that I never do that after someone dies. Most clients then respond, looking puzzled, “You don’t?” I then explain that while I never do the…

  • Legal: Siblingship

    siblingship [sib-ling-ship] noun (November 9, 2013): 1. The state of being related or interrelated 2. A state of affairs existing between one of two or more individuals having one common parent. You will not find this word in the dictionary — it is a new word as of November 9, 2013. It describes the unique,…

  • Estate Planning: Preventing the Fight

    You kids, don’t fight when I’m gone. These were always my Mom’s words as she left to go grocery shopping, and left my brothers and me home alone. I remember, as soon as we’d heard the car leave the garage, we would start fighting over something. Now as an adult, I notice that the same…

  • Honoring End-of-Life Choices

    Our community is facing a crisis, most recently evidenced by the Karen Okada case. The local news recently exposed this crisis, reporting that Ms. Okada made a living will in 1998 where she stated that she did not want her life to be “artificially prolonged” at “end of life.” The Queen’s Medical Center clinicians diagnosed…

  • Special Needs Planning

    Statistics reveal that about 16% of children in the United States have some sort of disability. The concerns of parents of these children are the same for most any parent and that is to make sure that their children are safe, happy, and live a meaningful life. Some of these children may not be able…

  • Time for a Meeting

    Many people think that when they retire they would be able to travel, or sit and read a book worry-free. Sadly, many also express that their experience during retirement is not at all that way. Some are caring for spouse’s who have dementia or other mental or physical challenges. Some are fearful that they do…

  • Legal: Fighting Over Assets?

    “My parents made a trust with a lawyer. Why is it not working and the trustee and beneficiaries are fighting over the assets?” Sadly, these are words I often hear from families who call me after the second parent dies to settle their parents’ estate. The Trust might have worked from the drafting attorney’s point…

  • Who’s to Get My Personal Assets?

    QUESTION: Should I write instructions for my jewelry and other personal assets in my Will? ANSWER: Yes. The best method to use is a “Personal Property Memorandum.” State of Hawai‘i law allows you to legally make your own list of beneficiaries of tangible personal property. It is as simple as making the list in your…

  • Creditor-Protection Gets a Boost

    Due to recent changes in our state law, Hawai‘i is one of a handful of states that affords creditor-protection to those who hold “Tenants by the Entirety” property. Tenants by the Entirety is a method by which married couples have equal interest in a property and hold the title together. Each owns the undivided whole…

  • Add the Color Into Your Estate Plan

    Leaving one’s legacy, in my opinion, involves much more than writing a Will to say who gets your things when you die. It involves reaching into your past and telling your life story including recalling specific memories, telling of family history, expressions of love and regret, and granting or requesting forgiveness. It also involves looking…

  • Are You a Planner?

    The end of your life begins now While more Americans are living longer, they will inevitably cope with one or more chronic conditions and disability. Recent statistics reveal that more than 70 percent of individuals in their 80s have some degree of dementia or diminished capacity. In order to ensure that your wishes are followed,…

  • The Third Guarantee: Change

    An often-heard quote about lifetime guarantees is the one about death and taxes. I would suggest that there is a third guarantee — that life changes. Nothing stays the same. So, once you’ve completed your estate plan, you’ll want to review it every so often to address life’s changes. What could a review with your estate planner…