Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Joint Wills: What Is It And Is It Right For You?
You’re a married couple. You do everything together. You share your finances and consider your property to belong to both of you. So why not do just one will for both of you? Why do both of you need your own wills? You can actually do this—it’s called a joint will. But it may… Read More »
What Does It Mean To Fund A Trust?
You may already know the benefits of a trust, or you may be considering using a trust as part of your estate planning strategy. But to have a trust, you have to fund the trust. What does that actually mean, and how would you go about doing that? What is a Trust? A trust… Read More »
The Basics Of Disinheriting A Child
If you are an adult and are creating an estate plan, you may have a dilemma, when it comes to leaving property or assets to your adult children. On the one hand, they are your children; you naturally want to provide for them in your will, trust or estate plan, and leave them a… Read More »
Handling Contingencies In Your Will
When we create a will, we often think only of the present—what life is like at the moment that we’re creating the will. But life changes fast, and over time, life can change often. If you are creating a will when you are younger (as you should do), there may be a lot of… Read More »
Some Sobering Estate Planning Facts And Statistics
Hopefully you know how important it is to have a will, or other estate documents. But even if you know that, it doesn’t mean you’re acting on that knowledge. In fact, resources from varying sources indicate that many Americans are not being diligent in having a comprehensive estate plan. Who Does and Doesn’t Have… Read More »
What Happens When There Are Two, Conflicting Wills?
Let’s say that someone passes away, and they leave a will. The will seems complete and clear, and presumably, created when the deceased was of sound mind. It seems like there are no problems. But then, it happens: out of the blue, someone uncovers another will, from the same person, devising the exact same… Read More »
What If You Lose Or Can’t Find A Deceased’s Will?
Let’s assume that sadly, a loved one passes away. You know that your relative was diligent, and perhaps, you even know that he or she at some point visited an estate planning attorney, and thus, had a will. The problem is that you don’t know where he or she kept that will, and now… Read More »
Attorney Client Privilege In Estate Planning Matters
In many ways, estate planning feels like a family event. Someone is creating an estate plan to leave assets and property to other family members. Family members may have been the ones to encourage the person creating the estate plan, to get to an estate planning attorney and get it done in the first… Read More »
Can You Condition An Inheritance On Marrying In A Certain Religion Or Faith?
When creating an estate plan, you can use certain estate planning vehicles, to condition how and when people get the assets you leave to them. For example, you could condition an inheritance on graduating college, or on someone being at a certain job for a certain amount of time, or leave funds or assets… Read More »
The Basics Of Special Needs Trusts
When planning for those with special needs, relatives may face a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to leave as much property as possible to the disabled beneficiary or individual—they will obviously need as much help as possible, with the expenses that often come with special needs. But on the other hand, leaving… Read More »