Are one or more of the potential heirs considering or have no interest in the farm? There are three steps. When a farmer passes away, one, all or none of the children may have an interest in the farm. That makes planning seem difficult. However, in reality there are only three steps to consider, according to […]

If you end up needing Medicaid, the government will look closely at your assets. There are some ways around the problem of having assets and needing Medicaid. A trust is one of the answers, according to the Times Herald-Record in “Benefits of Medicaid Asset Protection Trust.” A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is a trust that […]

While many digital legal documents have already been created, it seems that wills create a real challenge. Despite the recent move to create digital legal documents, wills, which by the very nature of the deceased being unable to verify the document in court, have remained on the back burner. Perhaps, that is about to change, […]

Being an executor is not an easy job and can be quite stressful. Many people trust one of their own children above all other potential candidates when considering the responsibilities of an executor.  However, it is not always a good idea, according to Texas Lawyer in “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be […]

The distribution of real estate can be a good deal or a bad deal. One way to avoid real estate going through probate is to put someone else’s name on the ownership of the asset. However, that almost always comes out badly, according to the Daily Republic in “All Things Real Estate: Living trust best […]

What you decide to do with retirement accounts can be a major enhancement to your estate plan. IRA retirement benefits can be used as a way to balance out other bequests and it can be used to support other estate planning goals. There are also tax implications to consider, according to  Morningstar in “Who Should […]

To Kill a Mockingbird put author in the limelight, but she quickly stepped out of it and has remained out. When Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, died in 2016, there was considerable publicity as writers attempted to uncover all the details of her life. They met with little success. Lee’s will […]

Medicaid is a possibility, if retirement money runs out.  However, the program is aimed at helping the poor. When many Americans consider the possibility of long-term care in a nursing home and look to insurance, they find that insurance is often difficult to obtain and afford. Medicaid is also a possibility but that needs planning, […]

Wills and trust often go hand-in-hand, when it comes to estate planning. Should you decide to use an online service instead of going to an estate planning attorney, you may find yourself with a trust but then learn you also need a will, according to the Lake County News in “The difference between a trust […]

As size of estates increase, so do the number of challenges. However, success isn’t easy to come by. As the number of wealthy estates increase, both the U.S. and Canada find themselves in challenges brought about by people who believe they didn’t get their fair share, according to The Globe and Mail in “Left out of […]