During probate, a court oversees the distribution of a person’s estate. It can be a complicated process, but proper estate planning can help it go smoothly. Unfortunately, many people don’t take advantage of the estate planning options available to them. According to...
After a person dies, the estate typically has to go through probate, a legal process in which a court oversees the distribution of assets and payment of debts according to the terms of the will. Although probate can sometimes be avoided through estate planning, it is...
Choosing beneficiaries is an important aspect of estate planning, but it’s one that sometimes gets glossed over. To make sure your wishes are carried out, it’s important to consider three key issues when naming beneficiaries for life insurance policies, investment...
The concept of a will is fairly simple. You want to tell others how your estate should be distributed after your death, so you state your wishes in a document. In reality, however, wills can get complicated. This is especially true when handwritten wills are involved....
What happens when you die in debt? It’s a question that more and more Americans are probably asking themselves. According to Experian, U.S. consumer debt reached a record high of $14.1 trillion in 2019. This total includes $9.6 trillion in mortgage loans, $1.4...
If you’re like many Americans, you don’t have an estate plan. Perhaps it’s because you don’t think you need one. You might assume that your assets are modest and your situation is simple, so you don’t need to bother with formal estate planning documents. This could be...