Estate Planning

When planning your estate, you must consider how you hold title to your real and personal property. The title and your designated beneficiaries will control how your real estate, bank accounts, retirement accounts, vehicles and investments are distributed upon your death, regardless of whether there is a will or trust in place and potentially with a result that you never…Read More

The recent proliferation of online estate planning document services has attracted many do-it-yourselfers who are lured in by what appears to be a low-cost solution. However, this focus on price over value could mean your wishes will not be carried out and, unfortunately, nobody will know there is a problem until it is too late and you are no longer…Read More

Can You Create An Asset-protecting Trust That Lasts … Forever? Several decades ago, most of us felt that we had fully completed our estate planning if we wrote a will that dictated who would receive which of our assets upon death. As estate-planning laws evolved to offer more options, and public awareness of estate planning options grew, more people opted…Read More

Most people are aware that probate should be avoided if at all possible. It is an expensive, time-consuming process that exposes your family’s private matters to public scrutiny via the judicial system. It sounds simple enough to just gift your property to your children while you are still alive, so it is not subject to probate upon your death, or…Read More

Creating a Will is not a one-time event. You should review your will periodically, to ensure it is up to date, and make necessary changes if your personal situation, or that of your executor or beneficiaries, has changed. There are a number of life-changing events that require your Will to be revised, including: Change in Marital Status: If you have…Read More

Are parents and adult children responsible for each other’s debts? Indiana is one of approximately 28 states that have filial responsibility laws. Modeled after centuries-old English laws, these provisions have not often been applied in modern times, but they are still “on the books.” Indiana’s filial responsibility law provides that if a child is financially able and a parent is financially unable…Read More

The recent economic recession, and staggering increases in health care costs have left millions of Americans facing incredible losses and mounting debt in their final years. Are you concerned that, rather than inheriting wealth from your parents, you will instead inherit bills? The good news is, you probably won’t have to pay them. As you are dealing with the emotional…Read More

Should You Appoint A Loved One Or A Professional As An Executor/Trustee? If you are currently involved in creating an estate plan you might be faced with a will or trust in the near future. If either of these documents is used in your planning you will have to choose a representative to administer it according to your terms. Because…Read More

Why Should You Have A Will And A Living Trust? When most of us consider estate planning, thoughts of drafting a Last Will and Testament come to mind. While wills are still widely utilized, there is another important document that is often used in conjunction with them: a revocable living trust. Revocable living trusts are documents created in the name and…Read More

Many people are confused by advance directives. They are unsure what type of directives are out there, and whether they even need directives at all, especially if they are young. There are several types of advance directives. One is a living will, which communicates what type of life support and medical treatments, such as ventilators or a feeding tube, you…Read More