Category: Probate
“Losing a loved one isn’t just an emotional burden—it also carries an administrative load. There are flower arrangements to pick, eulogies to write and a stream of paperwork to sort through.” One way to show loved ones that you care is by having an estate plan and communicating your wishes to them clearly, notes the […]
“Parents may delay creating an elder law estate plan, because of the in-law issue. Some parents are unfortunately estranged from an adult child, only because of the problematic son-in-law or daughter-in-law.” Let’s say you want to leave everything you own to your children, but you can’t stand and don’t trust their spouses. That might make […]
“It’s never too early to start working on how your things will be handled, once you pass away.” Estate planning is an all-encompassing term that refers to the entire process of gathering and organizing assets and making preparations for when you die, including caring for minor children and heirs. It also includes putting protections into […]
“Without a proper elder law estate plan, the children’s responsibilities are even more exhausting, stressful and sad.” It is the adult children who oversee aging parents when they need long-term care. They are also the ones who settle estates when parents die. Even if they can’t always come out and tell you, the recent article, […]
“The world exists just as much online, as it does offline. Failing to recognize that when planning for the end of life can lead to unexpected repercussions for survivors.” There’s never an easy time to talk about end-of-life planning, and a pandemic that has everyone thinking about death can make it harder, says the article […]
“Whether you’re planning ahead for your own heirs or have been asked to serve as executor for someone else, it pays to understand what the role requires.” The job of the executor is an important one. The executor has a fiduciary responsibility to manage the assets and debts of the decedent and carry out instructions […]
“What steps can be put into place to ensure an adult child who makes poor decisions, will be secure after the death of the parent? The main asset is life insurance.” This is not an unusual question for most estate planning lawyers—and in most cases, the children aren’t bad. They just lack self-control or have […]
“If your will was signed before 2013 and you have a so-called by-pass estate tax saving trust that is no longer necessary, you really should update and simplify your will.” Estate administration, that is, when the executor gets busy with paying debts, taxes and distributing assets, is often the time when any missing steps in […]
“Survivorship periods don’t usually surpass 60 days. If this period surpasses 120 days, it could put the tax-free estate transfer of assets to a surviving spouse at risk.” A survivorship clause in a will or a trust says that beneficiaries can inherit only if they live a certain number of days after the person who […]
“One of the most fundamental choices you can make as you’re thinking about how to pass your assets on to heirs, is whether you hold assets in a revocable trust or more simply give them via a will. Both approaches have advantages, although trusts can provide significantly more benefits.” Having a structure in place that […]
