Trust and Estates
5 Estate Planning Tools to Revisit at the Start of the Year
Many people hold off on estate planning. They don’t believe that their net worth is high enough or that they have enough assets to protect. Sometimes they believe (in error) that everything will automatically go to their spouse or to their kids, and there is simply no need. Alternatively, they create a plan, but fail…
Read MoreDescent and Distribution
Traditionally, a state statute of descent and distribution provides the order of preference for disposal of an intestate’s net estate. As a general rule, the person or persons with the highest rank in the order of preference who survive the intestate take all of the intestate’s net estate. Statutory Distribution In most statutes of descent…
Read MoreLapse and Mistake
One of the main purposes for making and leaving a will is to guide the administration of the estate of the testator–the person who made the will. A will should be written in language that is clear and indisputable. Alas, the language in a will may be unclear or vague. This article discusses the will…
Read MoreSpousal Election
One of the main purposes for making and leaving a will is to guide the administration of the estate of the testator–the person who made the will. A will should be written in language that is clear and indisputable. Alas, the language in a will may be unclear or vague. This article discusses the protection…
Read MoreWill Contests
You cannot contest a will simply because you don’t like the provisions, or because you received less than you felt you should have received, or because the provisions were, in your opinion, unfair. You must have legal grounds, which, if supported by the evidence, would cause the will to be rejected by the Probate Court.…
Read More