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Don't wait for retirement to launch your estate plan. People often put off estate planning, until they get older.  However, life events should trigger proper estate planning much sooner. This includes things like getting married or having children.

There is a lot of paperwork involved in transferring property and it needs to be done correctly. Ownership of property must be traced from one owner to another. However, when someone passes away, things change. There is now property that needs to change ownership.

Standard rules for dealing with digital accounts, have yet to be developed. Rules and regulations vary greatly between different states and between different websites on which people have accounts.  However, there are a few things everyone can do now to make it easier for others to handle their ...

Some estate planning mistakes should be avoided, but they aren't! Some basic mistakes should never be made in the first place.  However, unfortunately they happen over and over again. While a comprehensive list of these mistakes probably is not possible, a list of surprising errors we...

Foreign real estate can be difficult for estate planners, as well as heirs. Many countries have strict rules about who may inherit property. These rules are unlike anything in the U.S. Attorneys who practice in the foreign country need to be consulted, so any estate plan can take the foreign...

The estate has filed many lawsuits. This time it is suing the Walt Disney Company over a documentary. The Walt Disney Company is being sued by the Michael Jackson estate, over a documentary that includes footage of his two children, plus short clips of two of his songs.

Families are often silent about what should happen, if a parent becomes terminally ill or when a parent passes away. It is generally taken into consideration within a family, that a parent will some day pass away. However, it is not often discussed how painful this can be for the children...

There are many ways to transfer assets. The challenge is sometimes conflicting instructions. It is important that all the different ways assets can pass down do not contradict one another, or an estate plan may not be effective. A common problem that creates conflict was discussed recently....

Legislators have been working to provide greater access to digital assets for estate administrators. Estate plans almost have to include plans for what to do with digital assets these days.  However, many people are still confused about what digital assets actually are. There are four differ...

Creating an estate plan can be easy.  However, there are many opportunities to fail. The ease of writing your own will or downloading some forms from the Internet, can make you jump to the conclusion that you don't need professional assistance.

You are young, or you don't have many assets and that means you don't need an estate plan. Wrong! It is true that if people do not own any real estate and do not have any other property of high value, it will not be too difficult for their families to handle their estates.

Sometimes little thought is given in the choice of executor. That can create problems. The person in charge of your estate is the executor. Instead of thinking about whether the person they are choosing is the right person, many people just pick a close friend or relative.

Joint ownership means you don't have to go through probate.  However, the risks are high—very high. A parent will sometimes decide to add a child to the deed to their home and that means an equal share. It also means that if the child has creditors, they can seek to make claims against t...

Some parents want to give everything to their children right now … but wait! Unless you have an estate plan, before your children can inherit the estate it must to go through the probate process. That can be both expensive and time-consuming.

Digital assets need to be protected now.  However, they also need to be made available later. Protecting your digital assets before you pass away and making them available later, can create some conflicts. There are three basic complications, when it comes to planning for someone else to acc...

It may be wise to set up some review time for your estate plan, as life goes on. There are actually a few common things that can happen in your life that have an impact on your estate plan and they can be listed, according to the Huntsville Item in "When should you review your will?"

Flexibility can lead to the creation of a better legacy than anticipated. When people go to an estate planning attorney, they sometimes already have a good idea regarding what they want to accomplish with their estate plans. That is often a good thing.

Myths are spread from person to person and by the Internet. Correcting the myths, isn't an easy task. The world of the will and the trust has created some basic estate planning myths through the years.  However, they can be corrected...

People do inherit from a long, lost relative.  However, it isn't all that often. If you should inherit money from a long, lost relative, someone administering the estate will contact heirs and let you know. This always comes as a very welcome surprise for the heirs.

If it is not updated, your plan may well become a bad plan. It doesn't matter if it is life or your business that changes when it comes to estate planning. When key parts of your life change, the environment needs a fresh look, according to the Herald News in "Revisiting Your Plan."

Life can get in the way of an estate plan, if the changes are not taken into consideration. Basic and all too frequent problems can arise, if people do not match the changes in their lives to their estate plans, according to the Wicked Local Dedham...

Sharing ownership of your home with your child to avoid probate, is still a bad idea. Joint tenancy of your home with your child quickly becomes a bad idea, when the child has a creditor who can attach the home to pay off the child's debts, according to the Napa Valley Register...

An estate sale is a good way to get rid of unwanted items.  However, sometimes things end up badly. Colorado police filed a report about an estate sale that went badly but the case was dropped for lack of suspects, according to Fox News in "Colorado house ransacked after estate sale mix-up...

Creating a plan for distribution of assets is practical. If you do not have children, it isn't possible to follow the standard practice of caring for your spouse and your offspring when considering an estate plan. Exploring the options when childless, requires a bit more thinking, according ...

Avoiding the thought of death is relatively standard in humans.  However, it may not be the right course. We do not generally dwell on the thought of death, we avoid making estate plans and we are often not prepared for the reality of death when it happens, according to The New York Times...