Blog Posts in 2011

What is Estate Administration?

When an individual passes away, their property and assets will have to be distributed. However, before this can happen, the estate must be administered. This includes tasks like ascertaining the worth ...
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Looking Out For Your Family: Roth IRA & Probate

What is probate? Why is it beneficial to avoid it? Can Roth IRAs make probate unnecessary? When considering estate administration, wills, trusts, and estate executors, there are many questions and ...
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The Truth About Estate Tax & How to Avoid It

When property is transferred from the ownership one individual to another, the government imposes property taxes. This can occur at death when someone inherits the estate or it can occur while the ...
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Creating a Trust: Is it Necessary?

It is understandable for people to avoid thinking about the future and what will happen to their property after they die. However, it is in the best interests of the estate owner as well as their ...
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Will FAQ

In order for a person's wishes to be upheld after they pass away, it is important to create a legally binding document regarding the estate. While some choose to create trust, wills are more ...
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The Probate Case of Anna Nicole Smith vs. E. Pierce Marshall

It all started when the 91 year old J. Howard Marshall was on his deathbed: his young wife, Anna Nicole Smith filed a suit in Texas against his son, E. Pierce Marshall for intruding with her statuary ...
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Understanding Wills & Trusts

The process of probate takes place after the death of an individual and can go on for up to a year. No one wants their loved ones to go through this expensive and lengthy process and therefore people ...
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Trust a Probate Attorney, Not the Courts!

Last month, an audit of Colorado's probate courts uncovered shocking discoveries of the court's failure to lawfully enact the policies necessary to regulate laws regarding matters of probate, ...
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The Importance and Dangers of Appointing a Power of Attorney

Throughout the nation, there has been an increasing focus on the importance of looking into appointing a power of attorney (POA) as an essential cornerstone to estate planning. This simply means that ...
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How Do Missing Heirs Affect a Probate Case?

Probate, by nature, is not a simple process. The legal process of dividing assets per wills and state law is lengthy and can be considerably costly. In even the simplest of cases, this is a process ...
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Explaining Probate Law and How it Affects You

In 1990, Tom Carvel, the inventor of soft serve ice cream, passed away. With over 850 franchises throughout the nation, his empire was worth almost $80 million – a fact that his beneficiaries ...
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Avoiding Probate: Being Proactive in Estate Planning

Probate is a legal process that immediately begins upon the death of a family member or loved one. It is the process in which the property and assets are divided among the government, creditors and ...
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