Probate in Arizona: Everything You Need to Know
A lot of angst seems to surround the word “probate,” due mainly to general unfamiliarity with its meaning. Simply put, probate is the legal process that takes place upon a person’s death, much of which is avoided if the decedent took proper steps during his or her estate planning. This process involves: Proving the validity […]
Attorneys Get Paid per Word! And Other Untruths…
Why is my trust so long? As an estate planning attorney who provides comprehensive, solution-oriented planning documents to clients, I get this question almost every week. I have to chuckle, knowing that in the olden days attorneys did get paid per word of each document they created. But not anymore. Most estate planning attorneys work […]
Putting A Plant In Your Will?
Most wills include money for children and grandchildren. Some even leave money for the care of pets. But plants? Strange is it may seem, that has now happened. A woman in Pennsylvania has set aside $5,000 in her will so that a friend can take care of her huge philodendron after her death, according to […]
How to Preserve the Vacation Home for Your Family
Estate planning is about more than passing on assets, it is about passing on a legacy, and a way of life. As a recent article explains, one way parents can pass on their way of life is to preserve the family vacation home for their children. There are two common concerns parents face when determining […]
Finish Your Planning in 2014
If you don’t have an estate plan, a recent article suggests that one of your 2014 resolutions should be to create one. Everybody, without exception, can benefit from the creation of an estate plan. The article discusses several of the many benefits that an estate plan can provide, such as: An estate plan gives the […]
California Intestacy
Intestate succession, also known as intestacy, is the process of distributing a decedent’s assets when the decedent did not execute a last will and testament or distribute property through another instrument. State law determines how to distribute assets under intestacy, because the decedent left no other guidance for how he or she wants them distributed. […]
Three Ways to Plan for Your Collection
Many people spend countless hours and dollars building up various collections. Although these collections often have significant sentimental and monetary value, the owners often forget to include the collection within their estate plans. A recent article discusses three ways that you can plan for your collection. Sell the Collection This is obviously the most difficult […]
13 Estate Planning Situations That Call for an Annuity
Many estate plans are designed with the purpose of providing assets for an individual’s loved ones. One popular estate-planning tool through which this goal is often accomplished is the annuity. A recent article discusses 13 situations in which an annuity is the ideal estate-planning tool. Purchase of a Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SIPA) by a […]
An Inventory of Assets is Essential to your Estate Plan
We all have mountains of paperwork we file away each month: bills, retirement account statements, investment statements, life insurance policy value updates. Some of us now also have many accounts online which require passwords and usernames for access instead of paper statements. When someone passes away, finding all the accounts, insurance policies, and necessary information […]