A few years ago, I heard a commercial on the radio exhorting people to use a Realtor to buy or sell their house. The commercial’s reasoning was that Realtors have a higher level of training and education. The commercial talked about how your house is often your most valuable asset, and that a Realtor could […]
Don’t Forget Someone! What Happens if All Children are Not Named in an Estate Plan?
In January, I heard the news that NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash. I was shocked at the news, as was most everyone else that I knew. My cousin’s husband, who played in the NBA for a while, spoke about playing against Kobe Bryant with reverence, as Kobe Bryant was certainly […]
Strange Musings in Estate Planning: Why Do I Have So Many Filing Cabinets, and Why are there More Now Than Ever Before?
When I first started my law practice, I just had my computer, my cell phone, and the idea that I wanted to work on my own. After I started to find clients, I realized a good business practice would be to hold onto paper copies of documents I prepared once they were signed and completed. […]
Preparing Your Estate Plan Will Not Cause Your Death
Whenever I sign an estate plan, I generally tell clients that I don’t want them to use it for the next 30 or 40 years, and we laugh. I use humor to defuse tension related to discussing your own demise – that is just my style. Nobody likes to talk about their own death. The […]
Enjoy the Benefits of Personally Working With an Estate Planning Attorney
Last weekend I went up into the mountains and looked at a couple of mountain homes / cabins to potentially purchase. I have always been a bit jealous of friends whose families had cabins, and they got to go up to the cabin for a weekend, or longer during the summer. Thus, the trip into […]
What’s the Big Deal with Transfer on Death and Pay On Death Designations?
Years ago, I was in a professional networking group with an individual who wanted to know how to avoid probate. I discussed how they might use a trust, or joint ownership or joint tenancy for real estate, or a beneficiary’s deed, or other methods that do not need to go through probate. This person listened […]
Why Would You Want a Trust? Three Big Reasons You Want One
I am often asked what is the difference between a will and a trust. I suppose I get this question a lot because a will and a trust both seem to do the same thing – distribute assets at a person’s death. While that is a similarity between the two documents, each document accomplishes the […]
Back to Basics: How to Achieve the Basic Requirement for Your Will
There are several basic elements to a will. These are the elements required to make a will valid and have the will distribute your property at your death. I have not included an exact number for the basic requirements, because doing so would seem like just a checklist, and I want this blog to be […]
What does it mean to be a Mobile Attorney and Why Do I Do It?
I have written before about what is mobile estate planning, but I still get questions on this topic. Questions like: Why would you want to do mobile estate planning? Where do you go and what do you do? How did you get started? Why don’t more people do mobile visits like you? I can answer […]
The Coronavirus and Estate Planning – Has Anything Changed?
The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has led to unprecedented actions, quaratines, closing of restaurants, limited gathering of people, and given us new phrases. Who knew what “social distancing” might mean just a few weeks ago? I certainly would not have used that term to describe staying 6 feet or more away from most […]
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