Blog Posts in 2014

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Should You Use a Payable-On-Death Account?

Probate planning involves the distribution of your property and assets in the event that you pass away. You may be familiar with some of the basics of probate planning, such as developing a will that ...
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Do I Need a Revocable Living Trust?

A revocable living trust is one tool that is available for those planning their estates. It is used to determine who gets certain property in the event that the property holder dies. These types of ...
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How to Avoid Probate with Joint Ownership

In many instances, a married couple will own property together, which is known as joint property. What happens to this married property when one person dies? Some property may go through the probate ...
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Challenging a Will May Not Be Best

If you feel as though you did not receive the proper levels of compensation from a loved one in the estate administration process, it is possible to challenge the will. Challenging the will can be ...
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Do I Need a Revocable Living Trust?

A revocable living trust is one tool that is available for those planning their estates. It is used to determine who gets certain property in the event that the property holder dies. These types of ...
Continue reading "Do I Need a Revocable Living Trust?" »

Tips to Avoid the Probate Process

The purpose of probate is to legally wrap up a person's financial affairs after their death. For those that have not designated a specific individual to control their finances, their estate will ...
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How to Protect a Minor's Inheritance

Estate plans can oftentimes include provisions that give minors a share of the inheritance. Leaving significant money to an underage person comes with its own set of concerns, including how to ensure ...
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Why Digital Media Should Be Considered in Probate

The past fifteen years have opened up a common problem in probate courts concerning what happens with a person's digital asset ownership after their death. While pressure is put on a person to ...
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Avoid Transferring Debt After Death

The purpose of a will is to ensure that a person's loved ones are taken care of in the event of their passing. But if a person has more debts than assets, can death transfer debts and cause ...
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Keeping the Family Home Out of Probate

Probate is the process that occurs after a person has died that basically administers their estate through court proceedings. Their property and debts are assessed, taxes paid accordingly, and assets ...
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Robin Williams Chose to Use a Trust. Should You?

The recent passing of beloved actor Robin Williams has shed light on the importance of having an estate plan in place. With three different marriages and three children, Williams' estate could be ...
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Probate Judge Approves Sale of the Los Angeles Clippers

A probate judge rejected Donald Sterling's claims that his estranged wife Shelly Sterling conspired with her attorney's to remove him from a family trust that owned the Los Angeles Clippers. ...
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Old or Ill? Draft Your Estate Plan Before It's Too Late

When it comes to the future protection of your loved ones and your hard-earned assets, it is never too soon to begin planning. Unexpected events happen in life all the time, and you wouldn't want ...
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What Is Living Probate?

There are two different senses in which "living probate" can be used. One definition refers to conservatorship proceedings. In some states, if someone becomes incapacitated, the court might ...
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How Quiet Titles Can Clear Up Estate Plan Issues

Do you believe you have a right to property that you inherited? Does another party, possible a potential buyer or a company with a lien on the property, think otherwise? If so, you may be able to ...
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Is a Joint Will a Good Idea?

A joint last will is a single document shared by two people, a last will and testament that leaves all the pair's possessions to one another. A joint will is usually created by a married couple, ...
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What Is an Ethical Will?

Unlike a last will and testament, which is legally enforceable, an "ethical will" is a letter that you can write and leave to your family or friends when you pass away. Normally, individuals ...
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About Inheritance Rights

What happens if you don't have a will? What happens if a close relative wants to challenge the terms in your will? Depending on your state's laws, certain relatives could have a claim on a ...
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Estate Planning and Your Second Marriage

If you are in your second marriage, you will want to be careful when you are planning for the future of your estate. Oftentimes, individual that have been previously married have certain policies in ...
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Finding a Loved One's Last Will & Testament

When a loved one passes away, and it is time to take care of the estate, one needs to find their last will and testament and file it with the probate court. This task goes to the executor of the will, ...
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Relocating and the Complications of Estate Planning

If you create an estate planning and then move to another state, it could present complications. Relocating often creates issues with estate planning and people wonder if they need to create a new ...
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Deciding Who Will Be Your Health Care Agent

Depending on the state, your health care agent could be titled an attorney-in-fact, a health care proxy, or a surrogate. A person's health care agent is usually his or her spouse, partner, family ...
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Estate Planning Objectives for Married Couples

If you are married, estate planning has direct implications on the future of your spouse. It is important to know what your objectives are in an estate planning in order to best reach them. One of the ...
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The First Steps an Executor Must Take

In the intense aftermath of a loved one's passing, not only does an executor have to cope with their grief, but they also have the funeral or memorial service to arrange, plus numerous other ...
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What Is a Successor Trustee?

Were you recently named a successor trustee? If so, this means that you are not the primary trustee working with an estate, but the back-up in case the first chosen trustee falls ill, passes away, or ...
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