Category Archives: Estate Planning (Wills, Trusts, Deeds, Business Succession)
Could a Beneficiary Controlled Trust be Right for You?
The way a trust works is relatively simple. You put property in the trust. The person who establishes the trust is called the settlor. Those who receive the property in the trust are beneficiaries. And the trust is the person who administers the trust, according to the instructions and directions given to them by… Read More »
Don’t Let Your Well Planned Out Trust Fail
So you’ve done the right thing, and gone to an estate planning attorney and set up your estate plan. Your estate plan is complete, and you can go on, safe in the assumption that your property will be left to whomever you have designated to get it. Except for one problem: have you taken… Read More »
Including (and Leaving Out) Step Children in an Estate Plan
For many of us, step children are like our flesh and blood; it doesn’t matter what the biology is, our step-children are ours like any other person’s child. But the law doesn’t see it that way, when it comes to inheritances. That’s why, if you have step children, you may have to do some… Read More »
Spotting Dementia Early is Important in Estate Planning
Dementia, and the signs and symptoms of it, play a large and unique role in the world of estate planning. That’s because estate planning is largely about creating legal documents that distribute your property. If you don’t have the mental acuity or competency to do that knowingly, everything you create could get challenged, or… Read More »
The Personal Representative’s Role in Probate Cases
When you are making and creating an estate plan, you will be asked to name a Personal Representative. Even if you’re not making an estate plan—there could come a day when you are named as and called on to serve as a Personal Representative. All this is why it is important to know what… Read More »
How and Why to Value Assets Left in Your Estate Plan
Other than things that we tend to collect specifically for their value, or perhaps with real estate that we own, we often don’t give much thought to how much the things that we own are actually worth. But when it comes to estate planning and probate, the value of what you are leaving to… Read More »
Estate Planning and Separation From a Spouse
It often happens that married couples separate, but legally, they never finalize their divorce. They may live like this for years, putting off legal divorce whether out of procrastination, or purposely, for whatever benefit they may see the maintenance of the marriage providing. Either way, when someone passes away, there can be problems when… Read More »
The Financial and Emotional Cost When Someone Passes Away
Aside from the other drawbacks, dying has another negative: it isn’t cheap. Yes, the cost of dying can be expensive for both the deceased and those left behind. Good estate planning can alleviate these expenses, but a new study highlights just how much dying can cost. How Much Time? A recent study looked at… Read More »
What is a Residual Clause in a Will?
When you’re creating an estate plan, one of the biggest challenges is actually remembering to include everything that you own so that you can dictate where it goes or to whom it goes to. In everyday life, we may not remember all of the items, assets, or property that we own. In fact, we… Read More »
Could Your Estate Plan Use a Trust Protector?
Every trust that you set up must have a trustee, and for most trusts, it’s just as easy as that: you’ll establish a trust (whichever type works for your situation), name a trustee to oversee and administer the trust, and fund the trust. But there are some situations where trusts get a bit more… Read More »
