How do you decide who to designate as the executor of a will or trustee of a trust? Estate planning attorneys advise careful attention to making these decisions. Though sometimes families treat the designations… Read Moreabout Choosing An Executor or Trustee
What constitutes undue influence in an estate plan? What are some of the reasons why beneficiaries might challenge an estate plan over undue influence? How do different states handle claims of undue influence? Read… Read Moreabout Understanding Undue Influence
Agreeing to execute the will of a loved one or friend involves more then most people realize. Executors are encouraged to prepare ahead of time to the greatest extent possible. Experts share their insights for… Read Moreabout Assets, Debts, Taxes: Executor Duties
By it’s very nature, creating—and periodically updating, an estate plan requires us to involve others. Importantly, for example, when young children are involved, a guardian must be designated. Wills rely on personal representatives, typically… Read Moreabout Estate Plans: It Takes a Village
When Microsoft co-founder, Paul G. Allen died in 2018, his net worth was estimated at $20.3 billion. His sister Jody Allen has had the big role of executing his estate in line with his… Read Moreabout Executing Paul Allen’s Estate
Mortgages, credit card bills and car loans are among the types of debt left behind upon the death of a loved one. What happens to these debts? Can the burden of payment be passed on… Read Moreabout Inheriting Debt?
Though a painful decision, parents can choose to leave a child out of the will. There is no law saying parents must leave assets to children—or divide their assets evenly among children. Estate planning… Read Moreabout Disinheritance?
Estate planning experts say that although adding a loved one to a bank account may seem like an efficient way to pass the associated assets forward when we die, doing so can actually lead… Read Moreabout Joint Account? Cautionary Advice
Although hopefully avoided through careful planning and good communication, significant disappointments, delays, and conflicts are not uncommon upon the death of a loved one. Hurt feelings alone are insufficient cause for initiating probate litigation…. Read Moreabout Probate Litigation: Outcomes?
