Trust: Probate Avoidance 101 As Ambrose Bierce once darkly observed, “Death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate.” Obviously, ideally, when someone passes away, the paperwork and material concerns associated with the estate are so flawlessly...
Using Local Insight And Legal Know-How
To Protect Your Interests
Year: 2016
3 Reasons You Want to Avoid Probate
When you pass away, your family may need to visit a probate court in order to claim their inheritance. This can happen if you own property (like a house, car, bank account, investment account, or other asset) in only your name. Although having a will is a good basic...
The Pros and Cons of Probate
In estate planning circles, the word “probate” often comes with a starkly negative connotation. Indeed, for many people — especially those with larger estates — financial planners recommend trying to keep property out of probate whenever possible. That being said, the...
Mixed Families, Blended Families, Stepfamilies and Estate Planning
Estate Planning for Blended Families is crucial to prevent problems. Family 40% of all married couples are a step couple, where at least one partner has a child from a pervious relationship. Estate planning can be complicated enough, but mixed families or blended...
Successor Trustee: 5 Mistakes Successor Trustees Make and How to Prevent Them
The Trustee has a challenging job that is often made more daunting by family relationship or the complexity of the trust. When establishing a trust, you need to give serious thought to choosing your successor trustee—the person who will administer your trust once...
Is a Financial Plan Enough?
A financial plan and estate plan should work together! Why Experts Say You Need an Estate Plan, Too If you want to leave a robust financial legacy for your family, a financial plan alone is like trying to guide a boat with just one oar. It’s only part of the big...
Are you avoiding your Estate Plan?
Estate Planning: 3 Reasons We Run the Other Way We understand that it feels hard to get around to estate planning; it sounds about as fun as getting a root canal. However, we also understand that we all want to make sure that our loved ones are protected and receive...
Did you include your grandkids in your will?
Grandchildren Estate Plan: 5 Tips to Avoid Common Problems As we build wealth, we naturally desire to pass that financial stability to our offspring. With the grandkids, especially, we often share a special bond that makes us want to provide well for their future....
Estate Planning 101
When you are starting your estate plan, there are a couple of things that you need to think about. The most important question is what is your goal? Or put a different way: what do you what to accomplish with your estate plan? After you have answered this question,...
What To Do After a Loved One Dies
Administration of a loved one’s estate or trust. If you’ve been appointed an personal representative of a loved one’s estate, or a successor trustee, and that person dies, your grief – not to mention your to-do list, including tasks ranging from planning the funeral,...