Reviewing Your Accounts and Property upon the Death of a Loved One
How your accounts are owned makes a big difference in estate planning. The main objective is usually to ensure that no accounts and property are in only your name when ...
What If I Can’t Find My Loved One’s Documents?
If a loved one has recently died or become mentally incapacitated, finding the person’s estate planning documents is essential. The estate planning process and associated documents are critical to making ...
My Loved One Has Died – What Do I Do Now?
When a family member or other loved one dies, grief and shock can sometimes be overwhelming. The last thing most people want to think about is making phone calls or ...
How Trusts Have Helped Athletes
Estate planning is not just about what happens when you die. Proper estate planning takes into consideration all aspects of your life and how to protect your accounts and property ...
Handling the Legal Affairs of an Estranged Noncitizen Spouse at Death
As the world becomes more of a global community, it is no longer uncommon for married couples to maintain different citizenships. While a difference in citizenship alone can present complexities ...
Five Mistakes Successor Trustees Make (and How to Prevent Them)
When establishing a trust, you must give serious thought to who you choose as your successor trustee—the person who will manage, invest, and hand out the trust’s accounts and property ...
Third-Party Supplemental Needs Trusts
If you want to provide for a loved one who is disabled or has special needs when you are no longer here, care must be taken to ensure that the ...
Wills, Trusts & Dying Intestate: How They Differ
Most people understand that having some sort of an estate plan is a good thing. However, many of us do not take the first steps to get that estate plan ...
What Happens If My Beneficiary Dies Before Me?
When planning for death, most people assume they will die before their beneficiaries (e.g., their spouse, children, and grandchildren). While these assumptions are often well-founded, they do not always come ...
Seven Ways to Avoid Family Fights over Your Property
Ask a group of friends if they have experienced a family fight over property after a loved one has died, and you will be in for a lively and eye-opening ...