Help! I’ve Been Named as a Guardian. What Do I Do? A guardian is an individual who cares for someone, often a minor child, who needs special protection. Parents can nominate a guardian in their will, but typically a court must confirm and officially appoint the guardian after both parents have passed away. Sometimes the [...]
Sandwich Generation Month: Considerations When Caring for Both Children and Parents July is National Sandwich Generation Month, a time to honor those who are caring for both their children and their aging parents. This topic is particularly germane at present, as many parents are not only parenting their children but have also spent the last [...]
Estate Planning for Franchise and Multilevel Marketing Business Owners Franchise and multilevel marketing (MLM) businesses are often attractive because they offer people the chance to start a small business with a well-known brand and an established business model. However, they present different estate planning challenges than other types of small businesses because the rights and [...]
Saving for School: Planning for Your Family’s Education According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the 2018–2019 academic year, the average tuition and fees for a public four-year institution were $9,200; $35,800 for a private nonprofit four-year institution; $3,700 for a public two-year institution; and $18,400 for a private nonprofit two-year institution. If [...]
Summer Vacation Plans? Precautions and Preparations to Consider After months of near confinement in our homes, many of us are stir-crazy and eager to travel to a vacation destination. Although more states are opening up, there are several precautions to consider and preparations to make with your Arizona estate planning attorney as you plan your [...]
Education Funding Flexibility in Light of COVID-19 When it comes to returning to school in the fall, the details may still be unknown. Will students be attending classes in person, or will classes continue to be online? Will college students be allowed on campus, or will they be bunking with mom and dad for the [...]
3 Simple Ways to Avoid Probate Costs The bad news: When a deceased person’s estate (all of their money and property) has to go through probate (the court-supervised process of distributing a deceased person’s money and property), it can be subject to a variety of costs stemming from Arizona probate administration attorneys, executors, appraisers, accountants, [...]
Trust Funding: Setting Your Trustee Up for Success For many people, a revocable living trust is a valuable tool to ensure that their finances are well managed during periods of incapacity and that their loved ones are financially secure upon their passing. However, signing the trust agreement doesn’t end the estate planning process with your [...]
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 [...]
