How Much Should We Tell the Children about the Estate Plan?
Even those with thorough estate plans might have neglected to discuss details with potential heirs.
How to Use Joint Accounts and Beneficiary Designations
We need to make sure your legal toolbox has the right tools for the job and that you understand how each of them work, just like an owner’s manual.
Trusts Make Sense Even When You Aren’t a Billionaire
Done right by a lawyer, your heirs can avoid the expense and time of probating your will and may save on estate taxes, while easing the administration of your affairs while alive and after you have gone.
Is Probate Required If There Is a Surviving Spouse?
A common misconception is that you do not have to probate a will when your spouse dies.
Should a Husband and Wife have Separate Trusts?
In situations where both spouses want the surviving spouse to inherit all the assets, which is often the case, a joint trust can be far less complicated to set up and maintain than separate trusts, with less headaches for the surviving spouse.
How Does Probate affect Real Estate Transactions?
Is it better to transfer the title of the home to us, or to leave it as it is given her age and go through probate?
How Do You Stop Family Fights Over an Inheritance?
After a loved one passes, one of the biggest hurdles families face is passing wealth onto the next generation. Unfortunately, family dynamics can spur conflict and infighting among descendants.
Homeownership and Medicaid Can Be Problem
Many people work hard to acquire real estate and then later find that that real estate makes them ineligible for Medicaid to help pay for nursing home or in-home, long-term care.
Special Needs Plans Need Regular Reviews to Protect Loved Ones
Estate planning generally focuses primarily on lifetime protection and post-death distribution of assets. Special needs planning focuses primarily on the individual beneficiary’s lifestyle and care needs.
The Biggest Mistake in Trusts: Funding
Your real estate holdings, life insurance, bank accounts and retirement savings won’t magically flow into your trust.