Estate Planning

• Article - Revocable Living Trusts: A Beginner's Guide

  Revocable Living Trusts: A Beginner's Guide. A revocable living trust is one of the most important documents for parents to have in their estate plan.

• Article - Winding Up Your Parent's Legal Affairs After Death

  Winding Up Your Parent's Legal Affairs After Death. This article covers the distribution of assets and wrapping up of affairs.

• Article - What to Expect from Your Trusts and Estates Attorney

  How to help your parent find and work with a trusts and estates attorney on wills, revocable trusts, and estate planning.

• Checklist - 5 Legal Documents You Need for Your Parents

  These documents will ensure that you can assist your...

• Checklist - 7 Things to Look for When Choosing a Financial Planner for Your Parents

  Choosing a financial planner is important. Here are 7 things to look for when searching for a smart financial planner.

• Article - The Generation-Skipping Trust: A Beginner's Guide

  Generation-skipping trusts are not just for the very...

• Checklist - 10 Things You Should Know About Your Parents' Finances

  Know the answers to these 10 elderly parent finance questions. Where do they keep their financial records? Do they have a durable power of attorney?

• Article - Estate Planning Basics

  Estate planning manages money and property during life and passes it to survivors after death. Know what the basic estate planning documents can do.

• Checklist - 10 Things to Consider Including in a Will

  10 top issues for your parents to consider before writing their wills, including how to divide their property and who will receive it.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - Your Parents' Estate: Not a Windfall Anymore

  Our parents are living longer and are faced with astronomical expenses, which means that most of us shouldn't count on becoming huge inheritances.

Questions & Answers

• Question - How do we preserve my deceased father's estate when my mother remarries?

  To find out whether you are slated to get family property when your mother remarries, you have to look at the underlying estate plan.

• Question - If I have a living trust, do I also need a will?

  While it requires a little extra thought and paperwork, a simple back-up will may help prevent estate planning slip-ups.

• Question - How should my father balance estate planning, tax planning, and Medicaid planning?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - What is the difference between a will and a trust?

  Both wills and trusts do the deed of passing on title to property at death, but they go about it slightly differently.

• Question - Are family corporations good or bad?

  Some parents choose to set up corporations or partnerships to pass along their property to their children. The elephant in the room can be the IRS.

• Question - Do we need to inform the first attorney that we wrote a new will with another attorney?

  When hiring different attorneys to prepare your estate plan, it can buy you some peace of mind to make doubly sure that your documents don't conflict.

• Question - Are online estate planning documents legal?

  When looking for an online product to help product your estate planning documents, shop carefully.

• Question - In Ontario, what happens if a spouse dies and does not have a will?

  When a person dies without a will, who will get his or her property depends on how the survivors are related -- and sometimes, how many there are.

• Question - How do I set up a real estate trust?

  You may be able to set up a simple living trust own your own; other types of trusts may require some guidance from a legal expert.

• Question - How can I set up a trust account in a bank for my granddaughter?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Can a Wisconsin resident disinherit a spouse?

  If a will does not mention a surviving spouse, the law will likely look at the document carefully -- and make some assumptions giving the survivor a share.

• Question - My father has had a stroke and has no will. How do I ensure his things are taken care of?

  A parent who wishes to make a will may be able to do so, even after suffering a stroke.

• Question - How do I get my mother to update her trust and power of attorney?

  To help overcome your mom's resistance about updating her estate planning documents, you may need to heed why she feels a roadblock.

• Question - How do I pick an attorney and what should I expect to pay?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Is there anything I can do if I've been excluded from a trust?

  Children can be excluded from their parents' estate plans, but it usually must be verified as an intentional move.

• Question - Is it wise to put an elderly parent's home in trust?

  Whether it's wise for parents to put a house in a living trust depends on the context: their health, their goals, what else their estate plan provides.

• Question - Are we entitled to my great-grandmother's property?

  Whether you have a legal claim to a distant relative's property depends on whether they did any estate planning -- and who survived whom.

• Question - is it a good idea to put your IRA in a revocable living trust?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - Are living trusts and living wills the same?

  When it comes to living wills and living trusts, only the names are similar. One concerns itself with controlling medical care; the other, passing title to property.

• Question - Will healthcare directives from one state be honored in another?

  When it comes to healthcare directives, some states are more welcoming than others.

• Question - What does the term "new trust since PPA" refer to?

  The translation is easy: PPA means "Pension Protection Act." But understanding that law is far from simple.

• Question - Are guardians required by law for mentally incompetent elders?

  There has to be some pretty good evidence of neglect or mismanagement before a court will require a legal guardian or conservator.

• Question - Can you provide me with a list of "end of life" questions to address with my family?

  A comprehensive list for end of life questions will be appearing soon; in the meantime, this site can help provide some structure for your discussions.

• Question - What are the risks with reverse mortgages?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Where to Check the Form of Property Ownership

  Learn how to determine the form of ownership for your parents' property.