How much does an Estate Plan cost? This is a question many ask, even before they know what an estate plan is and what it involves. While I understand the reason behind leading with that question, no competent lawyer will answer it until they know what you want and...
How to Choose a Lawyer? Choosing an estate planning lawyer to work with is a personal experience. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve hired them for a business issue, a family law matter, a personal injury concern, or an employment-related question; great care should be...
What is a Deed and Why is it Important It is a legal instrument that transfers real property from one person or entity to another. The person who transfers the property is the grantor. The recipient of the real property is the grantee. Sometimes, the property is...
A power of attorney for finance is essential to a comprehensive estate plan. So, what is it, and why is it important? As with the agent for healthcare, the trustee, and the executor, the agent under a power of attorney acts as a fiduciary. This is someone authorized...
In 1996, the United States Congress enacted the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Its purpose was to provide guidelines for protecting patient information and privacy. HIPAA provides healthcare professionals with consistent and...
In 2020 when it appeared that the pandemic was ramping up, instead of dying out, many Americans got wise to the need for a Healthcare Directive. With so many dying from the coronavirus, it became apparent that preparing for death or incapacity was not just a concern...
A trust must be funded with trust assets to be valid and enforceable. There is no limit on the type of assets placed in a trust. A trust can be funded with a variety of assets. A trust can be funded with real property, such as residential houses, commercial property,...
Probate is the court-supervised process for distributing a deceased person’s assets, including their money and property. The operative words are “court-supervised.” There are pros and cons to probate. While lawyers often focus on probate's negative aspects,...
Having an estate plan is a smart idea for several reasons. One reason is that YOU get to decide what happens to your money and property when you die. Without a plan, the state where you live determines how your assets are distributed. And you might not like the...