Successor Trustee vs Executor Estate plans consist of legal documents that are signed, notarized, and kept safe in places like safety deposit boxes. But they also consist of people. And while the documents themselves serve as the foundation for an estate plan, what ultimately makes the plan work is the people who carry it out …
Prior to the pandemic, only about one in three Americans had a will, let alone another type of estate planning tool. That may be in part because death is an uncomfortable subject – but if you have any assets and any family, it is an important one. When we die, everything we own is distributed …
Let’s say you own a rental property or are the sole owner of a home. Let’s say you die without bequeathing that property to anyone specific and leave behind children and a surviving spouse. What happens next? Without a will, the state you reside in (and the state in which the property is located) will …
Leaving behind proof of your last will and testament is critical to seeing it honored after your death. Any document claiming to your last will is sure to be met with skepticism if it was not properly witnessed and notarized – after all, a document like a will determines who gets what after death and …
Intestacy laws determine who gets what after death, if no valid last will and testament was left behind. Intestacy refers to dying intestate, or without a testament of one’s final wishes regarding the contents of one’s estate. In general, intestacy laws dictate the succession in which a person’s relatives inherit their assets and personal property. …
Filing for bankruptcy is not a tabula rasa. While bankruptcy can help you deal with mounting debt and financial distress, there are certain debts and obligations it cannot erase – and long-term consequences that are inescapable. Perhaps the most severe punishment associated with bankruptcy is not what it does to your wallet, but what it …
A probate lawyer is a state-licensed legal professional whose job is to guide the executor of a will, or the beneficiaries of an estate, through the probate process. Probate lawyers can also fulfill other duties and assist in the creation of an estate plan long before the probate process comes to pass. To understand what …
Despite the rapid rate at which our technology evolves, we cannot yet be in two places at once. At least, not physically. While digital identification processes have made it easier than ever to open bank accounts and even start trading from the comfort of your living room, there are many processes for which we require …
What we own in life must be divided among the living when we die. It’s one thing to carry our favorite necklace or a wedding ring into the earth, but another to cling to the family home or the vintage convertible. The purpose of a last will and testament is to put a person’s wishes, …
We all dream of leaving behind a financial legacy to see our children through successful lives – to ensure their dreams and the dreams of their children can be made possible, through the hard work we endure in our day-to-day. But the reality can be starkly disappointing. The majority of “generational wealth” disappears by the …