In my practice over the years, I have learned what to watch for to protect aging relatives.
Category: Living Wills
The Estate Planning Documents You Likely Need
Estate planning is so important because it legalizes all of the most important decisions you can make regarding your family and property once you are gone as well as how you want to be cared for in an emergency.
Here are the estate planning documents you probably need.
Continue reading “The Estate Planning Documents You Likely Need”
Why It’s Important To Talk End-Of-Life Before An Emergency
The following is a guest post by Fran Myers who started a nonprofit called Advance Care Advocate to meet the needs of those without a health care advocate. She coaches families, acts as an agent (primary or secondary) and speaks for groups, organizations and churches.
A teen I know shared that when her dad died suddenly, no one knew how to talk with her about it. Her friends didn’t know what to say. Her story highlights the fact that we really don’t do well at communicating about this phase of the life cycle no matter how old we are and how hurtful that is. Continue reading “Why It’s Important To Talk End-Of-Life Before An Emergency”
Where Does My Property Go If I Die Without a Will?
If you die without a will, your property goes where the state tells it to go. Being will-less is called being “intestate.” Each state has its own intestacy statutes that determine what happens to your estate when you have no will. 
However, not all property is covered by these statutes (or included in a will if you have one). This property will transfer to whoever you name as beneficiary or to a surviving co-owner. This includes proceeds from a life insurance policy, property you have already transferred to a trust, retirement account funds, such as 401(k)s or IRAs, property owned in joint tenancy with someone else, real estate held by beneficiary deed or by transfer-on-death, payable-on-death bank accounts, and securities held in a transfer-on-death account. Continue reading “Where Does My Property Go If I Die Without a Will?”
