Estate Planning

Your will is the foundation of your entire estate plan. While having a detailed will is important, there are some things you should not include.  Knowing what doesn’t belong in a will (and leaving these things out of it) will likely help your beneficiaries after you...

When a person dies, their estate must go through probate, a legal process that ensures their debts are paid, and their belongings are distributed according to their will.  If your parent named you as the executor in their will, then they entrust you with the...

Are you worried that your family will be unhappy with how you have chosen to distribute your property after you pass away? If so, you need to take steps now to avoid inheritance disputes.  While there’s no way for you to stop all disputes that may occur, you can take...

There’s no doubt that one day your loved ones will inherit your assets -- but when you're young and healthy, that day can seem incredibly far away. Unfortunately, nobody is promised tomorrow, and bad things can happen even to those who seem like they have a lot of...

You’re looking to create an estate plan, and you already have an idea of where you want your assets to go. The problem is that one of your heirs is fairly irresponsible with their money, so you're wondering what you can do to prevent them from wasting their...

Estate planning is an important process that both spouses should undertake. Too often, one spouse takes the lead in this process, and the other is left in the dark. This can lead to problems down the road if something happens to the first spouse. We'll discuss why...

Everyone knows that there will come a day when they pass away. It's one of the few inevitable things in life, a core part of the human experience. But this doesn't mean that you should be overly concerned with when it's going to happen. Instead, you can use this...

You might not want to think about creating a will, but it is a crucial part of any estate plan – especially if you have children. When you create your will, it is your opportunity to divide your estate as you see fit, and you can be as specific as you want. By...

Estate planning involves helping your family plan for life without you. If you own a business, you also need to plan for business life without you. Doing so will be crucial to ensure your family continues to benefit from the hard work you put in. It also protects your...

There needs to be some restriction on the forgiveness of debts when people die. Otherwise, people on their deathbed could go to the bank, take out the biggest loan they can get, turn to their family and say, “Here’s a little something to remember me by.” What happens...