We always talk about what an estate plan is and what needs to be in an estate plan. More importantly, we have explained time after time why it’s so important to have an estate plan in place. So once again, let’s go over why it’s so important to have one and why building that plan [...]
When it comes to your assets, you want to make sure that you account for everything. Some people choose to keep their money in a bank account. Others may choose to stash assets under their mattress, in a coat pocket, in a shoebox, or buried in the backyard. Whatever the case may be, you’re doing [...]
Earlier this year, financier Jeffrey Epstein was found dead inside his jail cell in New York City. Interestingly, two days prior to his death, he wrote an estate plan and will. As estate planning attorneys, we’ve been asked if putting an estate plan together right before death is a common thing that happens. The answer [...]
What is an Estate and an Estate Plan? When people hear the word “estate,” some may think of movie-like mansions, sprawled across the mountains with swimming pools and acres of land. However, an estate refers to any assets that you have. This means anything that belongs to you. An estate plan contains a variety of [...]
An individual has recently passed away, and has money remaining in his or her bank account. Can anyone just walk over to that bank or an ATM and take the money out? The answer is no. Once an individual has died, there are steps which need to be taken in order to be able to [...]
Having an estate plan is so important because anything can happen, but exactly how do you go about preparing an estate plan? Well, it's not all that different than getting ready for a vacation. When you’re planning for a vacation, you make sure you have all your essentials packed. Your clothes, your toiletries, your electronics [...]
On occasion, we tend to forget where we've placed things. It could be losing track of where you placed the car keys inside the house, or your wallet. Believe it or not, a will can also be misplaced, despite the importance of the document. It may not be the result of forgetting where it was. [...]
Reading of the will, a moment in probate that is over dramatized. We see it often in the theater or on television where there's this big, revealing scene. The beneficiary walks into a swanky office of a high profile lawyer. Joining you are other beneficiaries who are also scheduled to learn of what they've inherited. [...]
It's around this time of the year when we receive phone calls from parents. Generally, it's usually the children who come to us and talk about estate planning for their parent(s).This time however, it's the parents who are coming to us to inquire about estate planning for their children. Why? Because their children are leaving [...]
Understanding how to probate can be difficult. It's by design, but it's also done to make sure everything is taken into account. The process is long and arduous, with many forms to be filled, appearances in court that need to be made, and that's just the tip of the iceberg that is this process. But, [...]
