In a child’s trust, you are eligible to leave behind specified property to one child. This property will be held distinctly from any property left for other children. You might choose with the help of your estate planning lawyer, for example, to create a child’s trust for each child if you have more than one.  […]

Selecting your primary and alternate beneficiaries is the first step to determining who will receive your property when you pass away. Outside of your will and trust, certain property passes directly through beneficiary designation forms, such as the proceeds from your life insurance policy and your brokerage accounts. Many people are not familiar with the […]

After you’ve crafted an estate plan, how do you feel about telling some or all your beneficiaries that you have left property behind. Does it matter whether or not you tell them exactly what you’ve left them? There are not any laws requiring you to inform your beneficiaries anything about your decisions.  You can provide […]

A will is the official estate planning document that you can use to name a guardian for your minor child in the event that something happens to you or you and the other parent. In many cases it can be tempting to name a couple as co-guardians. However, this is a poor idea to name […]

The word beneficiaries can be confusing, but it refers to institutions or people that you intend to leave property to. There are a few different types of beneficiaries including residuary beneficiaries, final beneficiaries, alternate beneficiaries, life estate beneficiaries and primary beneficiaries. Primary beneficiaries are those that you leave identified gifts of property to and usually […]

There are several different types of shared ownership when it comes to property. One of these is known as joint tenancy. Property that is held under a joint tenancy includes a written ownership document that identifies the owners as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as joint tenants. Each tenant owns an equal portion […]

When you’re making a comprehensive plan for your estate property, don’t forget all of the materials you have stored online, such as digital files, your social networking identities and access details, your accounts and your blogs. While you may not be able to line item each of these items through your will, you may still […]

The old estate planning myth is that people don’t need the help of a knowledgeable estate planning attorney until they have amassed significant wealth or are in their older years. This is a myth because everyone can benefit from the process of going through estate planning and discussing options directly with an attorney. All too […]

You might be able to include other assets outside traditional ones in your estate plan, including frequent flyer miles. Certain U.S. airlines will allow you to leave your accumulated miles in your will. You will need to contact the airline’s frequent flyer department directly to see whether or not they allow this. If they do […]

Ancestor.com’s U.S. probate and wills collection provides vast details about what people in the past left behind to their loved ones.  Some of the most interesting items left behind by famous people in history include: A snuff box left by U.S. Secretary of State, Daniel Webster, to his grandson. An island given by railroad businessman, […]