Wills And Trusts

Trusts can own valuable assets and control the distribution of those resources for years or even decades. A trustee has the authority to manage those assets and respond to distribution requests. Therefore, choosing an appropriate trustee is of the utmost importance....

Testators creating estate plans often have specific beneficiaries in mind. They want to provide support for certain individuals, including their dependents. In some cases, the dependents that testators hope to support after they die may include household pets or other...

In recent years, many people have decided to take a relatively non-traditional approach to estate planning. Instead of passing everything down to family members, some are choosing to create purpose trusts, arrangements designed to fund causes they care about for years...

When a loved one passes away, families often face not only grief but also legal confusion. You may suddenly hear terms like probate and trust administration. But what do they mean? And which one applies to your situation? Understanding the difference helps you avoid...

Creating your estate plan enables you to outline your wishes for your estate after you pass away. Determining the most appropriate way to pass assets to your beneficiaries is one of the major decisions that has to be made.  One option for passing down assets is...

Wills are among the most powerful legal instruments individuals ever create. A single document can potentially determine their long-term legacy and how people remember them. A will can control the distribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal assets....

You can use a trust for many purposes in an estate plan. For instance, a special needs trust can protect assets for a beneficiary without disqualifying them from government benefits. An incentive trust can give beneficiaries specific goals that they need to meet. But...

People drafting wills usually include terms explaining who should inherit from their estate. They can also designate individuals to hold authority as personal representatives or guardians of minor children. People who take the time and energy to draft estate planning...

Managing a trust can be challenging enough on its own. But when family drama enters the picture, things can get complicated fast. You might be a trustee or a beneficiary watching emotions run high, old conflicts resurface and expectations clash. This is very real and...

It’s very common for people to wait to draft a will or create a trust. In fact, roughly two-thirds of all Americans do not have an estate plan at this time. One of the major reasons they provide, when asked why they haven’t done any planning, is that they are going to...