Blog
DIY Wills & Trusts
THE CASE AGAINST “DIY” WILLS OR TRUSTS A will or trust are two of the most important and fundamental planning documents needed by nearly everyone, especially as you move toward retirement. Yet an astonishing number of people of all ages still don’t have one or the other. Psychological factors are at play–it’s extremely stressful to…
Getting Your Trust Funded
This is a story we hear all too often — “Mom and dad created a revocable living trust. They wanted to avoid probate. You see my sister lives in a group home because she is developmentally disabled. The trust named me as trustee, and my sister’s share goes into a special needs trust. I just…
When a Loved One Dies
UPON DEATH OF A LOVED ONE – SOME THINGS TO ADDRESS: Immediate Things: Secure the house. Take care of pets. Forward mail. Shut off or curtail use of utilities (or not, depending on circumstances, i.e., if you have to keep the heat on, water the lawn, etc.) Clean out the refrigerator. Stop the newspaper. Check…
Home Sellers — Take Notice!
I was helping someone recently with a sale of their home. A potential buyer came along with a large earnest money and promised a quick close – 10 days. That’s amazing! Thankfully, they asked their attorney (me) to review the contract. Here’s what I found: they had an Addendum that talked about an “undisclosed principal”,…
AVOIDING ESTATE – NIGHTMARES
Ah… the end of a year and beginning of a new year. It’s a traditional time to take stock and set priorities and goals. There are plenty of checklists to give you pause and cause you concern, so we don’t want to add to that. But we want you to consider a long-postponed item that…
Add years to your life
Many people have a phobia about estate planning. Nobody wants to think about their own death. My own father refused to come in and sign his Will before his untimely death. He was lucky to have an estate lawyer in the family. For many, proper estate planning somehow implies their death is imminent. Well, it…