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How to Help Your Loved Ones (and Assets) Avoid Probate Today, many people are using a revocable living trust instead of a will or joint ownership as the foundation of their estate plan. When properly prepared, a living trust avoids the public, costly and time-consuming court processes of conservatorship or guardianship (due to incapacity) or…

This probate is taking forever! After a loved one dies, their money and property must be distributed to the right people, either according to their will or the state’s default distribution scheme (found in its “intestacy” statute). While most people want the settlement process to be done ASAP, probate can take between 18 and 24…

Why Your Marital Agreement Should Be Shown to Your Estate Planner It is not uncommon for couples to enter into marital agreements stating what property is separately owned by each spouse and the property rights each spouse will have in the event of separation, divorce, or death. They are most common when one or both…

Assisted Reproductive Technology and the Real Impact on Estate Planning According to data provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 1.9% of all infants born in the United States, 81,478 in 2018, were conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART).[1] ART is defined by the CDC as all fertility treatments in which both eggs…

Caring For Yourself with the Right Estate Planning Prescription To all front-line and “essential” workers: Thank you for all of your hard work—day in and day out (and often evenings, nights, and weekends). You tirelessly give of yourself to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Whether you are caring for…

Your Time Is Valuable. Let’s Get a Jump Start on the Estate Planning Process Time seems to be the one thing we just can’t get enough of. This is especially true if you are one of our nurses or frontline healthcare workers. You work tirelessly caring for others and may not have a lot of…

Things to Be Aware of When Administering a Hoarder’s Estate Hoarding is more than just being a bit messy (or buying a six-month supply of toilet paper): It is actually a mental disorder causing some people to have difficulty discarding items, regardless of their value, and to experience severe distress even at the thought of…

Caught in the Undertow: How No Estate Plan (or a Bad One) Could Leave Your Family Overwhelmed Many people love to spend part of their summer vacation at the beach, enjoying the ocean and sunshine. But there may be unseen dangers that are crucial for beachgoers to keep in mind: For example, the undertow is…

There are many reasons why you may want to give to a charity: You may give because you believe strongly in a cause or organization, but it can also reduce your yearly income tax bill and remove value from your overall estate. If you are considering making a donation, but are unsure of how to…