Avoiding Abatement
Don’t Give What You Don’t Have If you leave beneficiaries specific dollar amounts in your will or trust documents, you may be creating a situation where the estate cannot afford ...
What is a Life Estate?
Life Estate Protects Loved One When a person gives a life estate to a beneficiary, the beneficiary is entitled to possess and occupy property (usually real estate) for the length ...
Use Caution in Planning Ahead
Trust Instructions It is tempting when creating an estate plan to try to plan for the future by setting specific instructions for preserving assets. For example a trust may give ...
Irrevocable Trusts and Creating Limits in Estate Planning
Restrictions in Estate Planning It’s a fairly common movie theme: a child is required to get married before he can receive his huge inheritance. The parents write something in their ...
Forgiving Debts in an Estate Plan
Forgiving Debts One gift which is commonly overlooked is the gift of forgiving a debt. An estate plan designates who will receive assets and property, but it can also designate ...
Estate Planning for Your Relationship
Protecting the Person Closest to You Many couples over age fifty who have been divorced or widowed are choosing not to marry again; rather, they are choosing to live together ...
What Can an Attorney-in-Fact Do?
Guardians Have Limited Power A guardian or attorney-in-fact (through a power of attorney document) may be appointed to take care of financial matters if the principal becomes incapacitated. Appointing someone ...
Giving to Charity in an Estate Plan
Giving is Good They say “you can’t take it with you when you go” so what should you do with the assets you have worked so hard to earn over ...
What is a Reverse Mortgage?
Reverse Mortgages A reverse mortgage can be very appealing to anyone over age 62 who has significant equity in their home. A reverse mortgage is not like your typical mortgage ...
Your Will May Be Available to the Public
A Last Will and Testament is Not Private When a will goes through the probate process, all the details in it become part of the public record. Anyone can go ...