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, […]

If you’re like most individuals, you already know that estate planning is a good idea, but you might have put it off for one reason or another. There are five primary things that you can hope to accomplish in the estate planning process.  Leaving Behind Property You might use a living trust, simple will or […]

Probate is a very common legal procedure that many people think of as an expensive and complex process. For simplified estates, however, probate might be a basic formality. Probate is the court’s way of a judge having discretion over the legal permission for assets to be passed on.  If a person passes away with a […]

When you think of the process of estate planning, there are two likely instruments that pop into your mind; a trust and a will. Wills are relatively easy to understand since these are the primary documents through which you could pass assets on to future generations.  The concept behind trusts, however, is somewhat more difficult. […]

The probate process should run quickly and smoothly, but this is not always guaranteed and the leading reason why people choose to use estate planning strategies and tactics to avoid the probate process. Probate refers to the process of distributing an individual’s assets after he or she passes away through court supervision. One of the […]