Estate Planning

The more property that has to pass through probate court, the longer estate administration can take after you die. Many testators creating their estate plans focus primarily on limiting what assets pass through probate court. Some people move property into trusts,...

As a business owner, you likely have more people dependent on you than most. While you could just let your business die with you, you might not want to, nor might your employees, customers and suppliers. Hence you need to plan ahead so the business can still run...

Generally speaking, if you’re in the hospital, you are the only one who gets to make decisions about the care that you receive. As long as you are 18 years old or older, this decision-making power stays with you. However, as people grow older, this sometimes becomes...

As you begin planning your estate or reviewing your existing estate plan, you have to think about who will fulfill your last wishes, secure your assets and manage your unhandled responsibilities. The executor of your estate will have to maintain and distribute your...

If you’re creating your estate plan and you want to disinherit one of your heirs, it essentially just means you don’t want to leave them any of your assets. They’re not going to get family heirlooms or financial assets. Perhaps you have one heir with whom you are...

As part of their estate planning, many people choose to establish trusts for their children, grandchildren or others to give them a financial “leg-up” as they enter adulthood. Often, these trusts are set up with conditions. These can be as simple as stating that the...

Every adult should have an estate plan suited to their needs. When you have children, you also need to consider their needs.  Here are two areas that parents need to attend to: Guardianship You could die before your child reaches 18. You have a legal responsibility...

It is difficult to imagine your child growing up under someone else’s care. However, this is inevitable if something were to happen to you and your co-parent. A guardian is a person nominated to make important decisions on behalf of the child should the parents pass...

Your parents might be avoiding estate planning for several reasons. First, they may not want to think about not being able to handle their affairs in the future. Just the thought of looking at their assets and liabilities could also be intimidating. Finally, your...

Thinking about what happens in the event you become incapacitated can be a daunting prospect, let alone telling anyone else about it. However, despite the challenging nature of this conversation, it is one that needs to be had.  Having a watertight estate plan in...