03/30/2016

Estate Doing, Not Planning

Lawyers refer to the preparation of wills, health care directives, trusts, and power of attorney documents as "Estate Planning". I find this phrase wildly problematic because it invites people to only "plan" and not DO. The critical part of preparing your estate is to DO the estate work.

img-signing-documentA story told too many times is that a person passes away, but has not done the work necessary to avoid the probate process. The part of estate doing, a part that was maybe planned, but not done, was the non-probate transfer of the real estate. There may be a will in place and the will identifies who gets the real estate, but a will cannot transfer title to the real estate.There is 1 simple answer and 1 slightly more difficult answer to this situation. A transfer on death deed is the simple answer. A trust is the slightly more difficult answer. Which is right for you depends on the value of your estate.

Estate doing should be the catch-phrase, not estate planning. Start your estate doing today by calling me to schedule an initial, free visit.

The material contained herein is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice, nor is it a substitute for obtaining legal advice from an attorney. Each situation is unique, and you should not act or rely on any information contained herein without seeking the advice of an experienced attorney. All information contained in links are the property of the linked site.

Related Posts