Our Blog - Surety Matters

Many of us associate estate planning with complex legal jargon and large financial portfolios, but a complete estate plan is simply a thoughtful strategy for the future. It’s about protecting yourself and your loved ones,…
Read Moreabout What’s A Complete Estate Plan?

Estate planning involves a lot of important decisions, but few are as critical—or as challenging—as choosing a trustee. While it might seem like a simple ceremonial honor, the reality is that this appointment comes with…
Read Moreabout Estate Planning: Choosing Your Trustee?

Although the designation of a guardian to care for minor children can only be made through a will, it’s best to set aside money for them via a trust. Minors cannot directly inherit assets, so…
Read Moreabout Setting Aside Money For Children?

Money for the care of a beloved pet can be designated through either a will or trust, though attorneys advise that trusts do have some advantages over wills. Trusts can be set up to take…
Read Moreabout Beloved Pet: Will or Trust?

When someone passes away without a will, the local probate court appoints an administrator to manage the deceased’s affairs and bring their estate to a close. Administrator responsibilities typically involve settling debts, and then distributing…
Read Moreabout What is a Court Appointed Administrator?

Without an estate plan, when we die, our debts are resolved in probate court, and then remaining assets are distributed to heirs, as dictated by state laws of intestate succession. Since the roots of these…
Read Moreabout Blended Family? Avoid Intestate Succession

We’re all exhausted from scam calls, emails, threats, and so on, but hopefully, we’re mostly on the alert, and successfully fending them off. How are our elderly loved ones faring? Not so well: an FBI…
Read Moreabout Protecting Our Elders From Scams

“To each their own” is wise to remember when it comes to things proudly collected over a lifetime. Sportscards. Pokemon cards. Porcelain dolls. Seasonal cookie jars. Antique coffins. Puppets. Nuclear power plant memorabilia? Name it,…
Read Moreabout Unusual Prized Possessions? Estate Plan!

If there are grounds to challenge a trial court’s decision in a civil case, an appellate attorney can argue that legal errors were made, warranting a reversal or modification of the lower court’s decision. Pending…
Read Moreabout Civil Case: Appeal Bonds Explained