Do You Have an Estate?
My business partner Shanna Tingom is a financial planner. She recently told me that one of her most frequently asked questions is, “What is the difference between a trust vs. an estate?” I actually hadn’t heard that one before. Shanna then told me the usual follow-up statement is, “I don’t have an estate.” Let’s clear […]
What is Probate, and Why Would My Property Go Through Probate if I Have a Trust?
Becky Cholewka: One of the hardest things to deal with is to deal with the loss of a loved one. When we’re working with clients who have had a recent loss, it’s very emotional time, but it’s a time where I see a lot of people make mistakes. Mistake number one I see is that […]
Can Your Trust Protect You From Creditors
Becky Cholewka: I get asked a lot, “Becky, I want to make sure that I have the trust that protects me from creditors.” The problem with that is there are very few trusts that actually have creditor protection for you when you are alive. Talking about different types of trusts, there is actually 30 or […]
Can You Trust Your Trust
Becky Cholewka: I have a question for you today. Can you trust your trust? I have some quick gut‑check ways for you to make sure that you think that your trust should work for you. Check number one. Look how long your trust is. For example, is your document a paragraph long? Is it two […]
The Benefits of a Revocable Trust
Becky Cholewka: There is so much confusion and misinformation out there about trusts. Today, I want to give you just a little breakdown of why revocable trusts have certain benefits because there’s a lot of people out there that say, “Oh, you don’t need a trust anymore just based on our tax laws. Well, that’s absolutely […]
Why Estate Planning is Vital for Unmarried Couples
Becky Cholewka: Some of the saddest phone calls I have are when I am talking to someone and their partner has recently passed away, and they’re not married. We have a common law marriage. Unfortunately, in Arizona, there is no such thing. In fact, no states do not have or own a common law marriage. […]
Revocable vs Irrevocable Trusts
Becky Cholewka: Did you know there are actually about 30 to 40 different types of trusts? They mainly fall into two categories though revocable and irrevocable trusts. That pretty much is exactly what it sounds like. A revocable trust, you can change, amend, or revoke. An irrevocable trust, you cannot. One of the questions I […]
How Not To Get Legal Advice
Becky Cholewka: I wanted to do a quick video on how not to get legal advice because, unfortunately, this is one of the biggest areas that I see a lot of people trip up on. A lot of people are getting legal advice from their tax person, their financial planner, their brother who lives in […]
What To Expect When You Call Our Office
Becky Cholewka: Hey, everyone. I just wanted to walk you through our process if you choose to call Cholewka Law for any of your estate planning needs. What happens is when you call, you will probably reach Peg on our phone. She’s our main receptionist, and she’s a little chit-chatty, so she’s going to want […]
The difference between simple and typical documents
Becky Cholewka: One of the things I hear all the time, probably about 3-4 times a week in my office is “Becky, you know what, I’m simple. I just need simple documents.” What I really think people are trying to tell me is that they are “typical”. Maybe they have a checking account, and a […]
