Estate Planning

While it doesn’t often happen, there is a legal process in place for the executor of an estate to resign from that position. When this occurs, it does often mean that the probate process comes to a temporary halt, but this delay may not be very long. If you are an executor who is considering...  read more

If you’ve written a will, you may feel like your estate is now protected. However, while that is true for your current situation, it’s not necessarily the case for the future. Your will needs to be updated regularly because your life, and your estate, is likely to change. Here are a few reasons why it’s...  read more

One of the most difficult parts of estate planning, for some people, is determining how to divide their assets. If you have very few assets or know that your heirs will be in agreement over how you divide things up, you may not worry too much about it. However, if you have a large number...  read more

If you have children, you likely plan on leaving your estate to them when you die. What do you do, though, if you have no children and are not married at the time of your death? You may not know who to leave your estate to, but there are a number of different options. Leave...  read more

One of the phrases you may hear when learning about estate planning is dead hand control. This morbid sounding phrase may make you think of a mummy, but it actually has to do with how your assets are handled by your heirs. Dead hand control allows, to some extent, for you to dictate when your...  read more

Creating a trust is one way of ensuring that your heirs are taken care of and that at least some of your assets do not go through probate. Trusts also have some tax benefits and give you some control over how your heirs use their inheritance. If you are married, you and your spouse could...  read more

In your will and on your various accounts, you have named who your heirs are and what they will receive. However, what would happen if you and at least one of your heirs were to die at the same time? It can happen in a car crash or other accident. There are some things you...  read more

Many people have family heirlooms that they have inherited from their parents or grandparents. Some of these items may have been in your family for generations and hold significant sentimental value, if not actual monetary value. Even those that aren’t as old, such as a piece of jewelry your grandmother owned, may be considered valuable...  read more

One common question people have is whether or not the executor of an estate can disregard your Will and do whatever they want with the assets. Fortunately, there are some safeguards in place to prevent this. However, it’s important to understand the legal responsibilities of an executor and how they apply to an estate. They...  read more

You can leave assets to your heirs in two different ways: through a will and through a trust. Both have their pros and cons, and neither is inheritably better than the other. If you’re beginning the estate planning process, it’s important to understand how these two options differ so you can determine which one works...  read more