Do I Have Control of My Assets Once I Make an Estate Plan?
What are the state default laws and who really controls my finances or healthcare decisions if i’m not able to.
Looking For Estate Planning Documents (Buyer Beware)
In this world you get what you pay for and one legal document or plan does not equal another legal document or plan. Very specific types of comprehensive languages and legal documents are needed.
Who Needs an Estate Plan? Estate Planning
Anyone over the age of 18 needs an estate plan, not necessarily because they are rich, but because everyone has something, and an estate plan helps ensure your family doesn’t have to go thru a court process typically known as probate.
Estate Planning Basics – Overview: Becky Cholewka
What is estate planning? What do you want to happen when you die? Are you an organ donor? Do you want to be cremated? How do you want your assets distributed? Who do you want to make decisions for you if you aren’t able to make decisions on your own? Take care of your family and ensure your wishes are followed. Call Cholewka Law in Gilbert today.
EP is like baking
For a wedding gift my cousin gave me a Hershey cookbook. It has the most scrumptious recipe for a triple-layer chocolate torte: three layers of super moist chocolate cake with an airy light chocolate cream filing covered in warm grenache sauce and sprinkled with chocolate shavings. It is a chocolate lover’s dream. I even have […]
My Dad’s Estate Plan: Good But Not Great
I remember a phone conversation I had with my dad on Jan. 15, 1991. His 47th birthday was the day before and I had forgotten to call him. It was also the first day of the first Gulf War. As I sat on the floor of my college dorm hallway on the community phone we […]
Have You Insured Your Family?
A colleague of mine recently told me that having a strong estate plan is like insuring your family. I thought that was a great analogy. Most of us spend thousands of dollars a year on insurance: car insurance, house insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. And while some of these only protect assets, the latter protects […]
Putting the Pieces in Place
I have always enjoyed puzzles. I remember working on one when I was about 11 or 12. It was a black cat against a black background. The only colors were in the cat’s eyes and whiskers. That puzzle took a while to complete. Have you ever worked on a puzzle where you are almost done […]
The Importance of Keeping Your Estate Planning Documents Updated
Becky Cholewka: Hi, everyone. One thing I always want to remind people is you need to make sure that you are keeping your legal documents updated. Every few years, I’d like you to make sure that you’re going back to your estate planning attorney and having them review to see if there’s been any new […]
Discussing Your Estate Plan With Your Family
Becky Cholewka: Sometimes you want to make sure that you have discussions with your family regarding your estate plan so that there are no surprises. However, that’s a really particular individualized call. For example, there are some families that are just really fractured, or maybe we are disinheriting some children. We know that if we […]