Category: Will

My father-in-law left land to my mother-in-law, stating that it goes to the kids. A conflict has erupted. Now she wants to sell it so the kids will quit fighting. My mother-in-law is saying she wants the checks made to the kids separately. Would it be better tax-wise for her to just sell it and […]

Disinheriting a child can be a difficult choice for parents. However, if this is the intended choice, there are do’s and don’ts when disinheriting. Are you thinking about disinheriting an heir from your estate? Make sure you know what you are doing before tackling this sensitive subject. Although it is always a painful decision, some parents […]

My husband and I have decided we would want our kids to go to my brother and his family, who live in another city, a 10-hour drive away. We think my brother and his wife would raise them more how we would want them to be raised, especially when it comes to the big decisions. […]

Are you childfree? Are you planning with an elder parent? Do any of your potential beneficiaries have special needs that must be taken into consideration? Are any of your beneficiaries minors? The first step of planning is to take a moment to consider what makes your situation unique. Although estate planning has many aspects, it’s good to start with the […]

In what likely foretells a bitter probate battle to come, a judge ordered Wednesday that the body of wealthy Alamo Heights woman who died Tuesday not be cremated before an autopsy is performed. A woman with brain cancer passing away is not normally a mysterious event that would cause people to wonder about the cause […]

An insular Hemel Hempstead man who died with an estate worth £750,000 has had his legacy split among 39 relatives who never even knew he existed. What are the odds that a long lost relative will leave you an inheritance? Although chances of this type of inheritance are slim, it really can happen. You have […]

Tom Clancy’s estate can teach advisors a lesson about blended families. Clancy was a best-selling author whose books were often turned into blockbuster movies. Consequently, he was a very wealthy man. This meant there were estate taxes to be paid. When Tom Clancy passed away, his heirs included his wife and four children from a […]

Smartphones sure make lives a lot easier (and, arguably, busier). With a few taps of a screen, individuals can do everything from checking the weather to buying stock to engaging in FaceTime across the world. One individual in Australia recently came up with another innovative use for his smartphone. He used it to prepare his […]

The information family and friends will need when a loved one dies goes far beyond those much-talked-about documents, and having them can make the end of life just a little less painful for those who remain behind. Properly planning an estate requires that you think about all of the little things someone might need to […]

A recent case from the Supreme of Mississippi held that forfeiture provisions in wills in Mississippi are enforceable unless the will contest has been founded upon probable cause and made in good faith. If you dispute a will and lose, can you still receive your inheritance? It depends. Forfeiture clauses normally state that anyone who […]