How Often Should You Review Your Estate Plan?
Becky Cholewka: I always like assigning homework to my clients. It’s fun for me, because it’s something that somebody else has to do instead of me. One of the things of homework that I always assign is to make sure that my clients pick an important date, some date that they will remember, an anniversary, […]
A House Divided ‐ When You Can’t Agree On Guardianship of Your Minor Children
Becky Cholewka: Hey parents, out there, who have minor children, I have a really important tip for you, for your estate plan. Please make sure that you and your spouse create wills, and talk about who is going to raise the children if something should happen to you and the other parent. In Arizona, the […]
About Those New Years Resolutions…
Becky Cholewka: Hello, Becky Cholewka at Cholewka Law again. I’m going to test you a little bit. I want you to think about what your New Year’s resolutions were last year, because this is what I’ve heard very often in the last couple months. “Oh you know what? I really wanted to start protecting my […]
Tips On Choosing Your Powers of Attorney
Becky Cholewka: One of the things we ask people to think about, before they come in and meet with us, is give some thought to who you want to choose to act for you in certain situations. For example, who do you want to make medical decisions for you if you’re not able to make […]
Why Having a Will Won’t Keep You Out of Probate
Becky Cholewka: We get a lot of myths around here. One of the myths we like to debunk is, I hear people tell me all the time, “I want to make sure I have a will because I want to avoid the probate process when I die.” Guess what? A will merely is instructions to […]
Living Wills for Pets
In the same way that many people have difficulty thinking of and planning for their own mortality, they struggle when considering a pet’s mortality. We love our furry friends; planning for the day we lose them is something most people prefer to avoid. However, putting your wishes in writing is an important step to […]
Recognizing the Importance of Living Wills
A living will is a type of advance directive delineating your preferences for end-of-life care in the event you become incapable of making your wishes known. Age does not dictate these crises; they can happen at any time. For anyone over the age of 18, advance directives ensure you receive the level of care […]
Who Gets Prince’s Little Red Corvette?
Oh Prince… can you please explain to me why you didn’t ever create your will? A man worth approximately $300 million, you should have at least given some thought to whom you wanted your money to go to. Did you want some go to charity? Or did you want it to be split amongst your […]
I Don’t Want the State to Get My Money & Other Concerns…
One of the most common concerns I hear is “I don’t want the state to end up with my money.” Fortunately, that scenario almost never happens. Money only escheats (reverts back) to the State when you do not have any heirs that could inherit your estate. Even if you don’t have children or parents or […]
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 […]