Blog
Do You Update Your Estate Plan as Often as Your Resume?
A resume is a snapshot of your experience, skill set, and education that provides prospective employers insight into who you are and how you will perform. Imagine not updating your resume for five, ten, or even fifteen years. Would it accurately reflect your...
Five Things to Know Before Including a Limited Liability Company in Your Estate Plan
When it comes to protecting your hard-earned money and property, it is important that you have the right plan, which can include a number of tools for your unique situation. One tool that might benefit you is a limited liability company (LLC) that owns some of your...
Three Reasons to Avoid Probate
When you pass away, your family may need to sign certain documents as part of a probate process in order to claim their inheritance. This can happen if you own property (like a house, car, bank account, investment account, or other asset) in your name only and you...
Have You Chosen the Right Trustee?
Whether you are reviewing your existing trust or creating a new trust, you should understand the important role that a trustee plays not only in handling trust matters but also in providing for and protecting your loved ones. What is a trust? A trust is an agreement...
The Importance of a Revocable Living Trust: Securing Your Legacy
Estate planning is a crucial step in ensuring your assets are distributed according to your wishes after you pass away. Among the various estate planning tools available, a revocable living trust stands out as a versatile and effective option. This legal instrument...
Why You May Still Have to Open a Legal Probate Proceeding
Probate is the legal process for recognizing the validity of a person’s will after their death and appointing the nominated decision maker. This person, also known as an executor or personal representative, administers the deceased person’s estate and ensures that...
What Is the Effect of an Unrecorded Deed?
A deed is a legal document used to transfer real property ownership rights from one person or entity (the grantor) to another (the grantee). In many cases, this transfer occurs due to the property being sold, with the seller transferring the property to the buyer....
Want to Leave Your Retirement Account to Your Minor Child? Consider These Things First
Your retirement account may be one of the most valuable things you own. Many people consider naming their children as the beneficiaries of these accounts because they think it is a way of easily transferring their wealth if something happens to them. However, there...
Things You Can Do to Help Prove You Are Mentally Competent When Executing Your Estate Plan
Although we would all like to believe that our family and loved ones will honor our wishes as expressed in our estate plan, contests are more common than you might think. Sometimes, a family member does not receive what they thought they would after a loved one passes...
Red Flags When Hiring a Professional To Be Your Trustee
When you form a trust as part of your estate plan, one of the most important decisions you will make is who will oversee the trust’s management when you are no longer able to manage it (also known as your successor trustee). Because a trustee’s work may be...