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Here are three simple tools that help you pass on assets at death without the necessity of probate, saving all parties money, time, and stress.

The time to seriously review all of a loved one's financial and estate planning affairs is in the early stages of Dementia or Alzheimer's. Progression of the degree of incapacity varies from person to person. A visit to a physician for a diagnosis and treatment plan should be your first priority. A visit to an attorney should be next.

In this series of blogs, I am outlining various different types of probates or probate alternatives to settle an estate and their likely costs. As I mentioned in the introduction to this series, the cost is predominantly determined by the type of procedure followed.

If you have ever gone through a hospital admissions process, you've likely been asked if you have a living will (also known as a directive to physicians) and a medical power of attorney. Here are the main benefits of both—and why they're worth the investment.

In some situations where a loved one passes away without a Will, you may need a determination of heirship in order to pass on their estate. If you find yourself in this situation, make sure you have an experienced attorney to guide you through the steps involved. Otherwise, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the process.

Probate can be costly and complicated. Unfortunately, not probating a Will could cause your family more stress in the long run. If your loved one has passed away and left a Will behind, you may find yourself in a situation where this is the case.

Probate or administration is the legal procedure for settling and transferring a persons estate, including assets and debts. If a person owns property in a different state from that in which he or she lied at death, an ancillary probate or administration in the other state might be necessary. If there was a will, generally, a probate will be proper, and if there was no will, an administration, which is more costly and involved, may be necessary. For ease of reference, I will use the term probate to cover either procedure.

When a loved one dies without a Will, you have two options: determination of heirship or Affidavit of Heirship. These are the steps involved in both proceedings, as well as best practices to follow.

If you've listened to the news over the last two months, you've learned that the COVID-19 virus can strike just about anyone just about any time, regardless of how careful you are or how healthy you are. The initial presumption that COVID-19 was only a serious concern for elderly, otherwise health-compromised people has proven untrue. Because of that, I have received lots of calls from clients of all ages who suddenly realized it might be time for them to look at doing their estate planning.

The time of year is coming up for holiday travel and family gatherings. Holiday travel frequently causes clients to make a desperate last minute call to my office to make estate plans. If the call comes very close to the holiday travel date, it may not be possible to get the documents drafted in time. Attorneys like to take time off to enjoy the holidays too.