It's almost the end of the month, which means it's time for our monthly review of elder law news and developments. Normally, we survey a broad elder law landscape, but this September review is not normal: Queen Elizabeth has died. That leaves many wondering who inherits her $500 million fortune. So we spend much of the September review on the royals. For the royal-averse, we include additional developments below. Scroll down. September Review: The Royals Edition You may have heard.

Arizona is one of the minority of states recognizing the concept of community property. In Arizona's version, though, most real estate owned by spouses for many years was titled as joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Why? Because Arizona did not recognize community property with right of survivorship until 1995. Is Community Property with Right of Survivorship better? Generally speaking, married couples owning property together should probably favor community property over other options. Why? Because if one spouse dies, the

Most people think estate planning is all about what happens when a person dies. It is, but it’s also important for the living. One special case: When you realize you need protection from yourself. Maybe you have a mental illness and can’t always be attuned to financial matters. Maybe you have a family history of dementia and fear money will go missing before anyone notices you are slipping. Or maybe you are optimistic and generous and know you are vulnerable

Most people understand the concept of joint tenancy ownership. But the operation of joint tenancy in specific facts may be counterintuitive. Last week we read an Illinois case that pointed out that joint tenancy is not just joint ownership of property. The life of a joint tenant Victor Barcroft lived in Lake County, Illinois, where he owned and operated funeral homes over a number of years. During those years he also acquired various pieces of real estate in the county.