How to Help Your Loved Ones (and Assets) Avoid Probate Today, many people are using a revocable living trust instead of a will or joint ownership as the foundation of their Estate Plan. When properly prepared, a Living Trust avoids the public, costly and time-consuming court processes of Arizona conservatorship or guardianship law (due to [...]
Nosy Neighbor Nellie Can Find Out About Your Probate. Really. Most people think of probate (the process of collecting, managing, and distributing a deceased person’s money and property) as a private process. However, because wills are filed at the courthouse, probated estates become a matter of public record. That means your nosy neighbor Nellie can [...]
Legal Requirements to Consider When Selecting an Executor The person you choose to be your executor (sometimes called a personal representative) will play an extremely important role, as that person will be responsible for gathering, securing, managing, and ultimately distributing your money and property when you pass away. As a result, you should make your [...]
HELP! This Probate Is Taking Forever!!! After a loved one dies, their money and property must be distributed to the right people, either according to their will or the state’s default distribution scheme (found in its “intestacy” statute). While most people want the settlement process to be done ASAP, probate can take between 18 and [...]
No-Contest Clause: Does No-Contest Really Mean No Contest? We live in a litigious society. Unfortunately, even family members sometimes file lawsuits because they are dissatisfied with what their parents or loved ones leave them in a will or trust. Some are so disgruntled that they decide to contest or challenge the validity of a will [...]
Why Your Marital Agreement Should Be Shown to Your Estate Planner It is not uncommon for couples to enter into marital agreements stating what property is separately owned by each spouse and the property rights each spouse will have in the event of separation, divorce, or death. They are most common when one or both [...]
How to Handle Savings Bonds in Estate Planning and at Death A savings bond is defined as “debt security issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to help pay for the U.S. government’s borrowing needs.” In effect, when you buy a savings bond, you are loaning the U.S. government money which is repaid with [...]
Assisted Reproductive Technology And The Real Impact On Estate Planning According to data provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 2 percent of all infants born in the United States (83,946 in 2019) were conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART).. ART is defined by the CDC as all fertility treatments in which both [...]
Special Estate Planning Considerations for Art and Other Collections Many people have collections about which they are quite passionate: The collections may be very valuable, for example, art collections, coins, stamps, or designer handbags, or they may have more sentimental than monetary value, such as political bumper stickers, postcards, or rocks. Regardless of its dollar [...]
Caught in the Undertow: How No Estate Plan (or a Bad One) Could Leave Your Family Overwhelmed Many people love to spend part of their summer vacation at the beach, enjoying the ocean and sunshine. But there may be unseen dangers that are crucial for beach goers to keep in mind: For example, the undertow [...]
