Blog
Is your Loved One a Victim of Financial Abuse?
If you have an elderly parent or other loved one that is a senior citizen, it is important to understand that they are particularly vulnerable to financial abuse. This is especially true if they have a mental or physical challenge. There are certain signs that you should be aware of that may indicate your loved…
Lost a Loved One? What You Need to Do Now
If you have lost a family member or other loved one, you may feel overwhelmed and confused about what you should do to handle their affairs. While no two situations are the same, below is a simple checklist for several tasks that you will likely need to handle: Make funeral arrangements. You should consider whether…
Should I Transfer My Home While I’m Alive?
For many Utah residents (and for most people in general), their most significant asset is their home. In an effort to avoid the probate process, or save the money required to create an estate plan, many people transfer title to their house while they are still alive. In most instances, a parent transfers title to…
Lost Wills
If you have a loved one die and you know he or she had a will, but you can’t locate it, it can cause confusion. A “lost will” is one that has been misplaced, or it could be one that was destroyed without permission of the decedent. In most cases, if a will cannot be…
Is Probate Ever a Good Thing?
When it comes to probate, you typically are advised to avoid it if at all possible. This is true as a general rule because the probate process can be time-consuming, expensive and it opens your private matters up to the public. However, there are certain situations when it may be beneficial to allow some of…
Checklist: What to do when Someone Dies
Checklist: What To Do When Someone Dies 1. If a doctor is not present, notify a doctor or coroner in order to obtain a death certificate. 2. If the death occurs at home, you may need to contact a local police officer or coroner. 3. If the Decedent wished, a donation of body parts and…
Upon the Death of a Loved One
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…
Challenging a Will
If you are considering challenging the validity of a Last Will and Testament of a loved one, you should understand it is serious business. Even if your objection to the Will is a simple claim that a simple mistake was made, it can bring the validity of the entire Will into question. There are numerous…
Estate Planning: Why are you avoiding it?
You probably understand that having an estate plan is very important, but like most people, you likely think you’ll get to it…eventually. It is normal to have some reservations about estate planning. Below are some of the most common reasons we hear for why our clients have procrastinated in creating their estate plan: Fear of…
Asset Protection with Generation-Skipping Trusts
If you have worked hard all your life to accumulate your wealth, whether it is a small amount or a significant amount, it is important to protect your assets. Estate planning is a critical element of asset protection efforts. In order for estate planning to be effective, you should try to identify all of the…