After months of near confinement in our homes, many of us are stir-crazy and eager to travel to a vacation destination. Although more states are opening up, there are several precautions to consider and preparations to make as you plan your summer travels. Heed the Centers for Disease Control and...
Help! I’ve Been Named as a Guardian. What Do I Do?
A guardian is an individual who cares for someone, often a minor child, who needs special protection. Parents can nominate a guardian in their will, but typically a court must confirm and officially appoint the guardian after both parents have passed away. Sometimes the need for a guardian arises when...
Sandwich Generation Month: Considerations When Caring for Both Children and Parents
July is National Sandwich Generation Month, a time to honor those who are caring for both their children and their aging parents. This topic is particularly germane at present, as many parents are not only parenting their children but have also spent the last few months homeschooling them. Older children...
Trust Funding: Setting Your Trustee Up for Success
For many people, a revocable living trust is a valuable tool to ensure that their finances are well managed during periods of incapacity and that their loved ones are financially secure upon their passing. However, signing the trust agreement doesn’t end the estate planning process: To work properly, the trust...
Assisted Reproductive Technology and the Real Impact on Estate Planning
According to data provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 1.9% of all infants born in the United States, 81,478 in 2018, were conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART).[1] ART is defined by the CDC as all fertility treatments in which both eggs and embryos are handled: It...
No-Contest Clauses: Does No-Contest Really Mean No Contest?
We live in a litigious society. Unfortunately, even family members sometimes file lawsuits because they are dissatisfied with what their parents or loved ones leave them in a will or trust. Some are so disgruntled that they decide to contest or challenge the validity of a will or trust, which...
3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs
The bad news: When a deceased person’s estate (all of their money and property) has to go through probate (the court-supervised process of distributing a deceased person’s money and property), it can be subject to a variety of costs stemming from attorneys, executors, appraisers, accountants, courts, and state law. Depending...
Nosy Neighbor Nellie Can Find Out About Your Probate. Really.
Most people think of probate (the process of collecting, managing, and distributing a deceased person’s money and property) as a private process. However, because wills are filed at the courthouse, probated estates become a matter of public record. That means your nosy neighbor Nellie can simply go down to the...
HELP! This Probate Is Taking Forever!!!
After a loved one dies, their money and property must be distributed to the right people, either according to their will or the state’s default distribution scheme (found in its “intestacy” statute). While most people want the settlement process to be done ASAP, probate can take between 18 and 24...
Your Time Is Valuable. Let’s Get a Jump Start on the Estate Planning Process
Time seems to be the one thing we just can’t get enough of. This is especially true if you are one of our nurses or frontline healthcare workers. You work tirelessly caring for others and may not have a lot of free time to work on your estate planning. If...