3 Reasons to Avoid Probate
When a person dies, his or her estate may need to go through probate. If the decedent leaves a will directing how his or her property should be distributed after death, the will must be submitted to the probate court so…
When a person dies, his or her estate may need to go through probate. If the decedent leaves a will directing how his or her property should be distributed after death, the will must be submitted to the probate court so…
Often we are asked by our clients to differentiate between “per stirpes" and “per capita”. For this blog post, we would like to revisit a blog that explains the difference between the two: You may have heard or read the…
If you are a trustee of a trust or an executor of an estate that owns real property, you may need to sell the real property throughout the course of the administration of the trust or estate. Before you move…
An ancillary estate proceeding is a secondary proceeding to appoint an estate representative, in a state other than the initial “home state.” The home state is the state where the decedent was domiciled and where the initial probate or administration…
A living will is a document that sets forth your wishes concerning the extent of medical care you want to receive. It operates during your lifetime if you become unable to communicate your wishes at the time a healthcare decision…
Recently, I was helping a couple with planning. Unfortunately, the husband passed away about two weeks ago. After he died, the family realized that he had one bank account that was in his name alone, with about $3,000 in it. They did not realize this before he passed, otherwise they would have taken care of it.
In order to avoid probate, you may decide to either place your home in a revocable trust or place someone you trust on the deed, creating joint ownership. Each of these options have their own pros and cons, but which is a better safeguard?
Today (March 6, 2017) marks the last day a fiduciary of a trust or estate can make a distribution from the trust or estate, and still take the 65-day election on the fiduciary income tax return. The general rule is,…
People often say that you only need an estate plan if you have a lot of money and/or a lot of assets. That statement is not necessarily true.
Reason 1: An estate plan is also important for medical and simple financial decisions, especially for a spouse in the event of disability or incapacity. It makes the entire process a lot more stress-free and simple for the spouse.
If something happens to me, my spouse will inherit everything I have anyway, so why do I need to make an estate plan?