By Ralph A. Castelli, Jr.
Recently, we received a letter from a funeral home that said, “most people spend more time planning their weekends than making important life decisions.” I have to admit, I’m sometimes guilty of this myself. Skiing at Boyne sounds like a lot more fun than deciding what to do with my house when I get older or become incapable of making decisions for myself.
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By Joseph P. Buttiglieri
Recently, I read “The Last Lecture” by Dr. Randy Pausch, a well respected professor at Carnegie Mellon University. You might have heard about Pausch’s lecture, titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” on Oprah or YouTube. It was part of a series where top academics are asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical “final talk” about their life and legacy. Ironically, Pausch had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer prior to his lecture, making it a poignant commentary for his family, his audience and the thousands who downloaded the lecture online.
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By Cynthia E. Brazzil
One of the biggest concerns of older adults and their family members is the ability to maintain ownership of their life-long home. As an older adult develops the need to enter a nursing home, further concerns and complications can arise if the government puts a lien on the real estate.
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By Andrew J. Goldberg
Senator Carl Levin of Michigan recently introduced legislation in the Senate that, if passed into law, would dramatically impact state laws regarding the public disclosure of the names of owners of privately owned corporations and limited liability companies.
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By Bonnie L. Beutler
Many owners in Michigan are trying to sell one home while living in another home. Fortunately, owners can now retain an additional homestead exemption, now called a “principal residence exemption,” for up to three years.
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By Ralph A. Castelli, Jr.
Summer is here and everything is growing… including our firm! If you haven’t noticed, we’ve added three new full-time attorneys to our team in the last year. Inside this issue, you’ll meet our newest member of the team: Faith Gaudaen.
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By Brian H. Rolfe
“If I’m going through a divorce, can I secretly video/audio tape my spouse interacting with our kids?” I often get this question either before, during or after a divorce proceeding. Usually, a person wants to use the recording to impact the custody arrangement.
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By Debra Nance
The desire to reproduce may be a natural instinct, but the ability to reproduce is not guaranteed. Problems in fertility have existed for centuries, and may have perpetuated the age-old use of surrogates.
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By Cynthia L. Umphrey
In good economic times, many companies had so much business that they didn’t have to plan or strategize. They were so busy working “in” their businesses that they forgot to work “on” their businesses.
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By Ralph A. Castelli, Jr.
As many of the bigger companies are shifting economically, a new path is being paved for small businesses and start-up growth. “Downsized” executives and employees are now interested in finally pursuing life-long dreams of owning a business. This edition discusses how to make business ownership a reality with your own retirement savings.
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By Thomas L. Boyer
There is no question that an employer may require a certain level of relevant education or training for a new hire to qualify for a job. However, it is more complicated to determine whether a non-exempt employee must be paid for attending training programs, lectures and meetings throughout the term of employment.
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By Bonnie L. Beutler
For years, you have dreamed of starting a business but you do not have the money or do not want to borrow from a bank. There is a solution. You can use your retirement savings to invest in a business of your own.
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Your identity can be stolen through physical means (a wallet, purse or credit card) or more covertly via computer, discarded checks or social security numbers given over the phone. Sometimes, credit card companies will notify you of unusual usage and stop the charges before any harm is done. Other times, you’ll need to take further action.
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By Andrew J. Goldberg
Using sponsorships to increase brand recognition has never been more prevalent or more complicated. While sponsorship can be a valuable marketing tool, it is also fraught with risks if appropriate precautions are not taken. Many issues must be addressed to ensure a well-intentioned process does not go awry.
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By Ralph A. Castelli, Jr.
There are many new developments to talk about at this year-end. First, I’m happy to announce yet another great addition to our firm: Brian Rolfe. Inside this issue you can learn about Brian’s practice and his enthusiasm for helping his clients.
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By Andrew J. Goldberg
After much clamoring, the Michigan legislature replaced the dreaded Michigan Single Business Tax (SBT) with the new Michigan Business Tax (MBT). The following is a brief summary of the new law as well as planning issues to be addressed.
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By Bonnie L. Beutler
Friends often ask me whether a purchaser should hire an attorney for a real estate transaction, even where they may be represented by a real estate broker. The response is usually yes: an attorney’s input can be vital, especially when purchasing commercial real estate.
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