Blended families are quite common in the U.S. A married couple may have a small child—but one spouse may also have children from a first marriage. The spouse may be concerned about assets and protecting those older children in estate planning. A spouse on a second or third marriage may insist on a prenup with … Continue reading What If Your Spouse Refuses Estate Planning?
Category: Intestacy
Why Do I Need an Estate Plan?
Yahoo News’ article entitled “Don’t fail to be ready for the day you’re dead” says that you need four key legal documents to take care of those who care for you. An experienced estate planning attorney will make sure it’s all done correctly. You want a will that will last through the years without needing constant revision. … Continue reading Why Do I Need an Estate Plan?
The Benefits of a Good Estate Plan
If you don’t have a comprehensive estate plan, state law will control. That’s unlikely to that the state will do what you would choose to do. MSN’s article entitled “What is estate planning?” discusses the benefits of estate planning. Minimizes taxes. Clever structuring of flexible retirement accounts, such as a Roth IRA, can help funnel more tax-free money to … Continue reading The Benefits of a Good Estate Plan
Is Spouse Automatically Your Beneficiary?
People make a grave error when they don’t have a will because they think their surviving spouse will automatically inherit all of their worldly goods. The laws of intestacy work differently, as explained in an article “Estate Planning: The spouse doesn’t always get everything” from nwi.com. The surviving spouse rarely receives everything under the intestate laws. This often … Continue reading Is Spouse Automatically Your Beneficiary?
Exactly Why Do I Need a Will?
Some people mistakenly think not having a will allows their assets to bypass the time and expense of probate. That’s not true–if you die without a will, your property still must go through probate, says Fed Week’s recent article entitled “The Importance of Having a Will.” If probate avoidance is an issue, you can create a revocable trust … Continue reading Exactly Why Do I Need a Will?