Estate Planning

Putting together a will might seem frustrating or morbid. People can find countless reasons to delay or outright avoid the process. Some adults delay for so long that they die without any testamentary documents in place. Whatever assets they have in their name at that...

People sometimes assume that bequests in an estate plan are going to be equal. If someone has multiple adult children as their closest direct heirs, for example, those children may all expect to get a similar inheritance. In most cases, this certainly is true, but...

If you’re a business owner who is considering your estate planning, a major focus of this process may be business succession planning. You have to decide what is going to happen with the business in the event of your sudden incapacitation or death, as it’s probably...

People often associate estate planning with elderly individuals. For instance, a middle-aged person may remember hearing their parents talk about writing a will or getting an inheritance from their grandparents. They know that this is something that people do as they...

A revocable trust is an estate planning tool, also known as a "living trust." The purpose of this legal document is to transfer ownership of your assets while you are still living and of sound mind. Revocable means that the creator of the trust (the "grantor") can...

Choosing a guardian for young children is probably the most important estate planning step for parents. If anything happens to a child’s parent(s), the guardian that they name will assume responsibility for that child and manage their resources until they reach...

There are many reasons that people choose to add a trust to their estate plans. One of the biggest benefits is having a trustee oversee the management and distribution of trust resources. A trustee, who may receive compensation for their services in some cases, will...

Many people think about their will when they consider an estate plan but that’s not the only legal resource that they need to create when crafting an estate plan. Another important reference to prepare when you’re working on your estate plan is at least one power of...

When was the last time you sat down and took a long hard look at your will? Maybe it’s been a decade, which is likely much too long for an estate plan to stay the same. Or, maybe it’s only been a year, but life can change in the blink of an eye and you may need to...

There are many reasons why a parent may not want to leave much to their children when creating an estate plan. Perhaps they have become estranged from their child and have not spoken to them in years. Such scenarios are common when children develop substance abuse...