Looking ahead at what medical care you might need in an extreme situation can seem intimidating at first. In the event of an emergency, advance directives allow you to write legal instructions in case there is a time when you cannot make them for yourself. Includes an...
Year: 2021
How do you build a successful estate plan?
As someone writing an estate plan, you want to ensure that it will serve your heirs well. You want your executor to have as easy a time as possible handling your affairs, too. After all, they will already have to balance so many legal aspects while in grief. But how...
Is it time to update your estate plan?
Your estate plan is not something you write and forget about. In fact, you should revisit it a few times during your life as circumstances dictate. If your estate plan is out of date, you may miss the opportunity to ensure your family is well cared for after your...
Guardianship and conservatorship protect against elder abuse
When a family member needs help making decisions and managing finances, loved ones may be hesitant to take any legal steps to officially give that authority to someone else. However, legal guardianship and conservatorship actually involve safeguards to make sure the...
Probate complications and preparations
On top of the grief that the death of a loved one causes, living relatives still must navigate the complicated waters of probate. It is the default process to handle a decedent's assets and property after their death and, without a prior plan, rolls on based on state...
Is it time to review your estate plan?
After creating your estate plan, it is wise to review it every now and then. This allows it to stay true to your actual real life circumstances, which is crucial in order to make the estate plan actually valid. But how do you know when it is time to review the plan?...
Planning for the potential of estate taxes
One of the common themes of estate planning is looking for opportunities to preserve assets for beneficiaries. Yet despite the many options one can implement when looking to optimize their estate plans, many may resign themselves to the thought that they cannot avoid...
Steps to take to prove validity and probate a will
The loss of a loved one is a difficult and emotional time when decision-making is impaired. If a will was created, family members are forced to embark on a complicated legal process. Does your will include your signature? If your will isn't notarized, it may not have...