Tag Archives: Creating a Will
Why New Parents Need an Estate Plan
Welcoming a new child into the family is one of the happiest events a person will ever experience. A new child brings a wealth of exciting possibilities and the opportunity to enjoy many new milestones. Of course, a child also brings a lot of responsibility that will last, to some degree, for the rest… Read More »
Understanding the Probate Process
The death of a loved one is always devastating, and requires a considerable amount of time to process, as well as to grieve. In the midst of planning funeral arrangements, it is often necessary to negotiate the complicated process of gathering the required documents to, for example, access bank accounts and receive any life… Read More »
How Wills Become Invalid
Executing a will takes a lot of time and forethought to ensure the document reflects what the creator wants and is legally effective. Given this commitment, avoiding the potential that a will may be invalidated is crucial. Not only would an invalidation completely wipe out the careful arrangements the creator set in place for… Read More »
Wills vs. Trusts: Which Is the Better Option?
Making end-of-life decisions, such as drafting a will or trust, naming healthcare surrogates, or designating a guardian, are difficult and avoided by many for as long as possible. While such issues naturally remind a person about his/her mortality, it is unquestionably better to leave loved ones with instructions and guidance about how to treat… Read More »
When Is It Time to Update Your Will?
Planning for the long term eventualities of life sounds like good and prudent advice, but it is easy to let things slide when it comes to the execution. This is especially true when a person is young, not necessarily aware of what plans to make, and apt to feel like they have unlimited time… Read More »
What Happens When Part of a Will Fails?
Making the decision to execute an estate plan long before concerns of major illness and frailty appear provides a huge service to a person’s spouse and family. Being able to direct when and how medical decisions are made and property is distributed after death often makes the life transition easier for the family, since… Read More »
Taking Care of Your Pet after Death
When setting up a trust or drafting a will, it is natural to think about how to best provide for the family members left behind, but there may be an additional part of the family that until recently was rarely considered – pets. Pets today are not treated or viewed the way they were… Read More »
What You Need to Know about Designating a Health Care Surrogate
Having the ability make decisions about your own health care is greatly valued by most people. Medical treatment is a very personal issue, and it is common for people to disagree on the correct approach, making the right to make these decisions even more important. At some point, though, many people will be faced… Read More »
What Happens to Your Estate If You Don’t Have a Will, or It Fails?
People often assume they have more time to think about what will happen after they die, and consequently, put off making decisions or executing formal documents, like wills and trusts. They may wait until they are very ill to make end-of-life arrangements and decide the easiest and obvious thing to do is leave a… Read More »
The Role and Duties of a Trustee in Estate Planning
Deciding how to plan, organize and designate the method used to pass your estate on to family and/or friends after your death is an extremely important decision that will have repercussions long after you are gone. One fairly common estate planning tool is the trust. The purpose of a trust is to create a… Read More »
