After someone dies, their will may be read as family and friends listen to who receives what. Not everyone will be happy with what they receive. To challenge a will, the person needs to have “standing.” The executor of a will may be tasked with ensuring that the...
When you retired, you decided to get a few pets. Those pets will, potentially, outlive you. This is a thought that you may have been pondering, and if so, it could be a good time to bring up a pet trust when you go over your estate plan. A pet trust is a good option...
Creating a will is never a fun thing to do. No one wants to think about their own mortality and leaving their loved ones behind. But having a will is required to avoid New York’s intestate laws. Intestate laws are put into place to determine who gets what if someone...
Life is a game of chance; no one knows when their last day will be. If you own a business and something suddenly happens to you, you don't want your business to end up in probate. Many business owners make a point of engaging in business succession planning to ensure...
You don't want your death to cause a fight among your loved ones, but that is exactly what will likely happen if people don't agree with how you divided your property. Even if you have a carefully crafted estate plan, there is a very real risk that someone in your...
You know that being the executor of someone’s estate is a big job -- but you probably have no real experience with the probate process. Where do you even start? Let’s break down the steps: Find the will and file it with the probate court. Finding the will and filing...
There are a lot of forms to sign when you take out a life insurance policy. One of those forms will be a beneficiary designation form. It generally contains one line for your primary beneficiary and then another one for an alternate. While you might not think twice...
When the time comes to make your last will and testament, you have many critical decisions to make. A will is usually your last chance to accomplish your end-of-life goals. For many, it also provides an opportunity to say a few final words to loved ones. When you...
When people have a lot of assets to manage and loved ones to protect, they often make use of one or more trusts as part of their estate plans. However, you don’t need to have a great deal of money to benefit from a trust. It’s important to know, however, that not all...
Putting your estate plans together is an essential part of preparing for your future. Once you start, however, you may find yourself confronted by some unexpected difficulties making decisions about your plans. For example, it may not be that easy to choose the right...