| Trusts for the Disabled |
| When a family includes an individual who is disabled, a special trust or special trust provisions should be considered to protect the financial interests of that person. Of course, the term disability can have a wide range of meanings. Generally speaking, reference is to individuals who would not be able to care for themselves or whose interests would be better served by retaining control and management of the disabled person's inheritance or other assets in a trust.More... |
| Inheritance Without Planning Means No Changing the Default Plan |
| When a person dies intestate (without making and leaving a will), each state provides a default plan (usually known as the statute of descent and distribution) under with his or her net estate is disposed. When a person dies intestate, there is no changing the default plan. The default plan's sequences for determining who inherits and how much can not be changed. This article discusses the disadvantages of descent and distribution related to that inability to change who inherits and how much.More... |
| Beneficiaries -- Types of Professional Advisers |
| Receiving an inheritance calls for two basic activities that should be discussed and handled with an attorney: reviewing the estate closing to insure that the decedent's wishes were carried out and preparing a beneficiary's own will or living trust so that his new assets will be protected. If a beneficiary already uses an attorney for general personal and business advice, he should find out if she is familiar with estate planning. If not, the attorney should be asked for a reference.More... |
| Coverage of Healthcare Directives |
| By appointing a medical proxy, you can ensure that there will be someone to lobby on your behalf to get your wishes enforced, to make sure medical personnel know of your wishes, and to enforce your healthcare directives in court, if necessary.More... |
| Limited Inheritance in Unusual Circumstances |
| State statutes of descent and distribution are usually supplemented by other statutes or court rulings that limit or prohibit inheritance in unusual circumstances. This article discusses some of those unusual circumstances.More... |
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