How Property Distributed When Someone Dies Without A Will

The Price of Not Having a Simple Will

I read an article by Don McNay recently, which highlights the complexities, expense and unwanted results that can arise in cases of intestacy. McNay is a…

FAQs About Powers of Attorney and Directives

Incapacity Can Happen At Any Age…Be Prepared

I recently received a heart-wrenching note from a parent, whose 22 year-old son had been involved in an accident. He was knocked unconscious with multiple dislocations…

FAQs About Wills

Can I Make a Testamentary Gift to Someone Who Witnesses My Will?

A testamentary gift to a beneficiary who is also a witness is presumed void. The reasoning behind this rule is that a witness who will benefit…

Planning for Special Circumstances

Strategies For Lawsuit-Proofing Your Estate

Forbes Associate Editor, Ashlea Ebeling, wrote a great article last week about estate planning strategies that can discourage a protracted legal battle after your death.

Planning for Special Circumstances

Traditions That Keep Families Connected

My kids and I play a Volkswagen Beetle game. It’s not Punch Buggy, but rather a unique game that my family created. New Beetles (I hear…

Financial Powers of Attorney, Planning for Special Circumstances

A Durable Power of Attorney Does Not Authorize An Agent to Settle An Estate (And Other Lessons)

A man (who I’ll call “Jack”), recently called me in a bit of a panic. His fiancé (“Jill”), with whom he had lived for many years in…

Probating a Will

Can I Transfer Property in Texas With a Foreign Will?

Occasionally, people own property in Texas but reside in another state or country at the time of their death. As a result, they make wills that comply…

Newsworthy

Preparing for Aruba!

A few of weeks ago, my husband called with some exciting news. He earned an all-expense paid trip at work for himself and a…

FAQs About Wills

What Are The Odds That You Will Die an Untimely Death?

My colleague, Candice Aiston, an Oregon estate planning attorney, included some sobering statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (pdf) in a recent…

Medical Powers of Attorney and Directives

Friday Funny: Advanced Healthcare Directives

Thanks to Michigan estate planning attorney, Mike Lichterman for sharing this very funny cartoon.