Planning your legacy is no small feat, especially when you have children. Parents often want to leave behind something their kids can benefit from, whether that comes in the form of money, property or guidance. And deciding how to do this can be confusing. For...
Estate Planning
Who are your substitute decision-makers?
Think about the decisions you have made for yourself recently. You may have decided to make a big purchase, move into a new home or go to the doctor when you were sick. If you are a parent, you may have had to decide what your kids will do regarding school in the...
Dos and don’ts of disinheriting someone in Pennsylvania
An estate plan should reflect what you want to happen in terms of the care you receive at the end of your life and how you want your property distributed. These are intensely personal decisions and putting them into legally valid documents like a Will can ensure your...
Was your loved one the victim of undue influence?
A person’s Last Will and Testament is a valuable legal document that should reflect his or her wishes concerning property distribution and care of his or her children. A Will can also provide critical guidance and direction to loved ones during an upsetting time....
Estate planning for new parents
If you recently became a parent, you probably know just how much changes after welcoming a baby into your family. You have different priorities, different expenses and perhaps a different outlook on life. Because of all that changes when you become a parent, it is...
What does estate administration entail?
Administering a person's estate can be very complex. There can be disputes, legal obstacles and delays that make the already-difficult event of a person's death more upsetting. While this process affects many people connected to the decedent, managing the details of...
Key planning tool for some PA parents: the special needs trust
Parents across Pennsylvania love their children, without regard to the personal attributes and abilities that set them apart. One son or daughter might be blessed by outsized abilities in multiple areas. Another might face mental and/or physical disabilities that...
Considerations surrounding the Pennsylvania probate process
Probate is an essential estate planning term. It applies to a process that is centrally important in the estate administration realm, but not comprehensively understood by all parties who it might eventually affect. Probate can be summarily defined as the legal...
Estate pitfalls can be avoided through timely, tailored planning
Although a recent in-depth article written by industry insiders spotlighting estate administration touches on many points, its bottom-line message for would-be planners is both pointed and simple. That is this: Count on challenges to arise down the road for heirs and...
An Effective Trust Requires a Fair and Informed Trustee
We point out on our website that comprehensive and tailored estate planning can be a dynamically integrated exercise. What we specifically underscore in that observation is that a well-executed plan often entails far more than a will alone. Although that instrument is...