Ways to Leave Your Real Estate to Your Loved Ones (and the Pros and Cons)
Owning real estate continues to be a very popular investment vehicle for individuals and couples alike. One attractive feature of investing in real estate is that investment property can also double as a personal residence. In other cases, real estate...
What is a Medallion Signature Guarantee, and Do I Need One?
Upon seeing the words medallion signature guarantee (MSG), you may envision some shiny grand medallion, signifying a level of greatness few attain. However, that is far from what this guarantee means. An MSG is a unique tool used to protect...
What Are the Rights of a Child Born Outside of Marriage?
Despite the prevailing view, children born to unmarried parents are commonplace. Historically, children in this category were treated poorly by both society and the law. In many cases, they had no right to inherit from either parent. This legal scheme...
Who Should Be Your Successor Trustee?
If you have a revocable living trust, you probably named yourself as the initial trustee so you can continue to manage your financial affairs. Eventually someone else will need to step in when you are no longer able to act...
Including Noncitizens in Your Estate Planning
With our society becoming increasingly mobile and international travel becoming more affordable than ever before, families and family-like relationships have steadily grown far more diverse in terms of citizenship. It is no longer uncommon for spouses from different countries to...
What to Do When a Child Dies
The death of a minor child is one of the greatest shocks that life can deliver. No one can ever prepare for the cascade of challenges that will come with such an event. Not only are there legal and financial...
What If I Can’t Find My Loved One’s Documents?
If a loved one has recently died or become mentally incapacitated, finding the person’s estate planning documents is essential. The estate planning process and associated documents are critical to making decisions on the loved one’s behalf, gaining access to accounts,...
What to Do When a Loved One Dies Abroad
The death of a loved one can be one of the most disorienting life events. But if the loved one dies while traveling in a foreign country, the emotional and bureaucratic burdens can multiply exponentially. Contact the United States Bureau...
Simultaneous Deaths: What If My Spouse and I Die at the Same Time?
The chances of a married couple dying in a common accident or within a very short time of one another are probably quite slim. However, it does happen. And it happens frequently enough that most states have laws to address...
What to Know If Your Deceased Loved One Owned Firearms
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), from 1986 through 2018, tens of millions of firearms were both manufactured in and imported into the United States.[1] Where are those guns today? They are most likely filling...