Probate

• Posted in: Current Affairs

The movies have given people certain expectations when it comes to a death in the family and probating a will; this Hollywood portrayal includes an attorney, a book-lined office, and the entire family assembled for a formal reading of the will which ends in shocked gasps as the entire fortune goes to an unknown and […]

• Posted in: Asset Protection

Losing a spouse is one of the most difficult experiences life has to offer. Even continuing to take one day at a time seems almost impossible when you’ve lost your partner, your mate, the love of your life. Many people who have lost a spouse describe feeling as though the rug has been pulled out […]

• Posted in: Asset Protection

The anticipated upcoming changes to estate tax laws have many people thinking that now is not the ideal time to create an estate plan; however, now is the best time to talk about estate planning with your family and loved ones. The winter holidays are coming up soon, a time for coming together and spending […]

• Posted in: Asset Protection

This is a topic I frequently cover in my monthly estate planning presentations. Many people think that owning property in joint tenancy means they don’t have to create a will or estate plan. Why bother with a will when all the property is going to your joint tenancy partner anyway? In fact (some people may […]

• Posted in: Estate Planning

Have you ever wondered just how little you could get away with in your last will and testament? Aletta Stager of Brooklyn, NY holds the distinction of having executed one of the shortest wills on record—a mere 2 lines long! “Nov. 29, 1895. I give to my cousin, Nettie M. Cowan, all money that I […]

• Posted in: General interest

Sadly, a few of our clients have recently passed away.  “The death of a loved one imposes cruel demands on the closest survivors.” The truth of that statement from this article in moneywatch.com is known to anybody who has lost a close friend or family member. We’ve written a lot on our blog about going […]

• Posted in: Probate

We acquire so many assets over the course of our lives now—bank accounts, stocks, real property, life insurance, retirement, and more—it’s sometimes confusing to know what has to go through probate and what doesn’t. The answer to the question above is: life insurance and retirement benefits do not have to go through probate if the […]

• Posted in: Probate

For a subject with which everybody is at least peripherally familiar, probate can turn confusing and frightening when you are forced to become intimately acquainted with it. As a beneficiary, probate can be lengthy, expensive and frustrating; but if you have been named as executor, probate can suddenly become an overwhelming maze of deadlines, notifications […]

• Posted in: Probate

Tolstoy said that “happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” but sometimes even the most stable and happy of families can turn angry and litigious when death and property is involved. It never ceases to be surprising how many seemingly strong family relationships devolve into backbiting and grudge-holding […]

• Posted in: Probate

Dealing with the death of a family member—especially when that family member is a parent—can be fraught with confusion and emotion even under the best of circumstances. Being named as the executor of the deceased’s estate (although often considered an honor) means that you have to have a clearer head and more patience than everyone […]