Myth: “I Have a Will, So My Family Avoids Probate”
A will is not a shortcut around probate. It’s a set of instructions addressed to the judge.
Dynasty Trusts, Explained: When Multi-Generational Trust Planning Makes Sense (and When It’s Overkill)
For centuries, English common law capped how long a trust could tie up property. Starting with South Dakota in 1983, American states began quietly repealing that rule inside their own borders.
Myth: “I’m Married, So Everything Just Goes to My Spouse”
Marriage isn’t a legal shield. Without documents, your state decides what your spouse keeps.
Protecting Family Members From Arguing After You’re Gone
Leaving it to them jointly isn’t fairness. It’s a decision you handed to grieving people.
Digital Estate Planning: Who Gets Your Passwords and Accounts When You’re Gone
When a woman died unexpectedly, her sister spent months trying to access her email — not for sentiment, but because years of tax records and mortgage logins lived nowhere else.
The Importance of Listing Contingent Beneficiaries
One name is half a plan. The backup field is what keeps an asset out of probate.
Contesting a Will: Grounds, Odds, and What It Actually Costs
A daughter watched her father’s will, signed six weeks before his death while heavily medicated, leave nearly everything to a caregiver he’d known less than a year. Courts don’t care whether a will is fair.
Burial vs. Cremation: Ensuring Your Wishes Are Honored
Writing it down turns your family from decision-makers into people simply carrying out instructions.
Charitable Remainder Trusts: Give to Charity, Keep an Income Stream
Ruth wanted to sell an appreciated rental property, keep an income stream, and leave money to charity — and assumed those three wants were in conflict. She was wrong about the conflict.
Overcoming the 3 Barriers to Estate Planning
Time, cost, and not knowing what to do. All three shrink on close inspection.