» Estate Planning

When you set up an estate plan for the financial security of your loved ones after you pass away, a will and a trust are the primary legal documents that can provide for distribution of your estate. It is also essential to account for financial assets that have beneficiary designations. Those assets can make a substantial difference in property dis… Read More

Fiduciary duties are a key legal principle in estate planning. In your estate plan, you designate specific fiduciaries who have high-level legal responsibilities in implementing your plan. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of each fiduciary is essential to ensuring that you choose a person with the right qualifications and skills to fulf… Read More

In estate planning, there are many types of trusts that achieve identified goals of the individual creating the estate plan. A spendthrift trust is a specific type of trust that is written to restrict or control a beneficiary’s access to the trust property, in order to protect the assets from being taken by creditors of the beneficiary, wasted, o… Read More

When you make a will as part of your estate plan, one of your most important decisions is choosing the person to designate as the executor of your estate. Choosing the best person as executor of your estate first requires understanding what the executor of an estate does. Then, you need to know what qualities to look for in an executor who can fulf… Read More

When you think about estate planning, you probably focus on the distribution of your estate after your death. But planning for incapacity is an equally important part of putting a complete estate plan in place. This aspect of estate planning protects you, your loved ones, and your estate during your lifetime in the event you become incapacitated an… Read More

Estate planning is an important priority for all parents, but the need for an estate plan is even more compelling if you are a single parent with minor children. Your estate plan ensures that your children’s personal and financial needs will be taken care of in the event something unexpected happens to you. While it is difficult and uncomfortable… Read More

When you make a last will and testament to distribute the property in your estate after your death, your will determines more than who receives the assets in the estate. It also designates the person to administer and distribute your estate, and determines the legal process that will be followed for administration and distribution of the estate. Un… Read More

In Arizona, as in other states, probate is a court-supervised process for settling and distributing an estate after a person passes away. A common misconception is that probate is necessary for every estate, which is not the case. Some assets and some estates are not required to go through the probate process. In fact, with help from an estate plan… Read More