Probate — people often consider it a dirty word. Especially those who have gone through the probate process. But for the rest of us, what even is probate? The Black’s Law legal dictionary defines ‘probate’ as the “legal process to determine the validity of a will.” In layman’s terms, it’s the process of the court appointing […]
One would assume that celebrities with extreme wealth would take steps to protect their estates. But think again: some of the world’s richest and most famous people shuffle off this mortal coil with no estate plan, While others have made estate planning mistakes that has tied up their fortunes and heirs in court for years. Let […]
This blog has touched on some of our favorite estate planning and probate movies, including the 2019 who-dun-it, Knives Out. Revisiting this film in particular, and now we are looking at one of the most dramatic moments of the movie – the reading of the Will. In Knives Out, as well as many other movies, we […]
When you think about how you want your property to be distributed after your death, most of the time it is easy to identify that property—your home, your cars, your jewelry, etc. But what about the genetic material used in assisted reproductive technology, such as frozen sperm, eggs, and embryos? Is genetic material stored with your […]
A spouse’s death creates a difficult and demanding time for the surviving partner. As much as you might want space and time alone to process your grief, you may have certain responsibilities related to settling their affairs, including paying off spouse’s debts. Most Americans have some type of debt. The obligation to pay debts does not […]
Meat Loaf, whose real name was Michael Lee Aday, passed away earlier this year at the age of seventy-four. The singer behind 1977’s Bat Out of Hell—one of the best-selling albums of all time—experienced ups and downs befitting his larger-than-life persona. He hit bottom with his 1983 bankruptcy but rode a 1990s career rebirth to newfound […]
The American Dream envisions home ownership for everyone. And most of us save for this purchase with the thought of passing it on to our families one day. But questions about ownership and how it’s passed on are pretty common. Questions like, “If I give my home to my child in my will, can they take […]
One thing which will virtually guarantee your estate will go through probate is real property. That’s right, if you own your home in your name individually (meaning you have not created an entity like a trust or LLC, and have not transferred the property’s title to that entity), then your estate will need to go through […]
