The Continuing Care Community Trap
Continuing Care Puts Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Into Probate Continuing Care Communities make sense for people who want to live independently now and have additional levels of care available later if they need them. But there’s a very specific estate planning problem that arises when someone enters one of these communities, and if it […]
What Happens to Your Business When You Die?
Business owners spend years building something valuable. They create systems, develop customers, hire employees, pay vendors, buy equipment, sign leases, open accounts, and hopefully build something that has value beyond just the income it produces from month to month. But one of the most important questions often gets ignored: What actually happens to that business […]
What Happens to Your Retirement Accounts When You Die?
“What happens to your retirement accounts when you die?” My first answer would be another question: What do you want to happen? That may sound like I am avoiding the question, but I am not. Retirement accounts are different from many other assets because they generally do not pass according to your Will. Instead, what […]
Five Things You Should Not Put in Your Last Will and Testament
A Last Will and Testament is supposed to make things easier after you die. Unfortunately, people sometimes treat a Will as though it should contain every piece of information anyone might ever need about their estate. They list accounts, describe property, explain family disputes, include confidential information, and sometimes even try to control assets the […]
Why I Hate Probate: When Bureaucracy Beats Common Sense
Probate Bureaucracy I hate probate, and I’ve hated it for a very long time. That doesn’t mean probate serves no legitimate purpose, because there are certainly situations where court supervision protects beneficiaries, forces accountability, or resolves disputes that otherwise might never get settled. What I hate is what happens when the process stops being about […]
Sneaky Lawyer Tricks That Drain Your Estate Plan
When people hire an estate planning attorney, they’re trying to make things easier for their family. They want to avoid probate when possible, reduce court involvement, keep costs under control, and make sure the people they choose can carry out the plan without unnecessary delays or confusion. That is what estate planning is supposed to […]