In any estate administration, one of the biggest “gray” areas is what to do with the physical, personal stuff. Is there monetary value? Maybe. Is there sentimental value? Probably. Are they the same thing? No. The following are some ideas to help navigate this...
Beneficiaries
Fundamentals of Estate Planning
Estate planning can be daunting. However, understanding a few fundamentals can push you in the right direction. The following are the basics of an estate plan:Will. A will creates a blueprint to transfer your probate assets in a manner consistent with your wishes. In...
Unintended beneficiaries
Life insurance and other death benefit policies are incredibly important, particularly if you have dependent children or other dependent family members.Unfortunately, although many parents name their children as direct or contingent beneficiaries, what they don't...
Personal Property Lists
After a loved one passes away, emotions about personal property run high. For example, prior to grandma's death, no one cared about that olive green casserole dish. However, the moment she passed away it became a testament to her delicious goulash. So, how do we avoid...
A cautionary tale of multi-party accounts
Recently, a client contacted our office to assist her in distributing her father’s estate. Her father had a number of kids and requested that his estate be divided equally between them. Nothing fancy – sell the property and distribute it equally to each child. Well,...