Murphy’s Law and Estate Planning

As the old adage goes “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” Referred to as Murphy’s law, this well-known saying has no mercy. Sadly, estate planning is no exception to its wrath. There is hope! Below are five-estate planning mistakes and how to fix them:

Incorrect guardian for your children: A will is a way for you to control what happens to your estate and your minor or disabled children from the grave. If you fail to put together a will, the state will decide who cares for them at a court hearing. If you do have a will, be sure to review it regularly and confirm your original guardian is still a great choice for your children. If he or she is not, then amend your will and choose another guardian. Because all family law judges are required to make decisions in the “best interest of the child”, it’s a good idea to write a letter of explanation to help the judge understand the decision you’ve made. Read More

Joint Property Perils

People often set up bank accounts and real estate so that they own it jointly with a spouse or other family member. The appeal of joint tenancy is that when one owner dies, the other automatically inherits the property by right of survivorship, without the property having to go through probate. Joint ownership of property is perceived to be easy because bank accounts can be opened as joint accounts and when buying real estate, title can simply be taken as joint tenants. Read More