Sometimes joint owners can’t agree on how to manage — or divide — their jointly-owned asset. The difficulty might arise with real estate, or a business, or even financial accounts. When they can’t agree on what to do, the result might be what the legal system calls a “partition” proceeding. Joint ownership Two — or …
Partition: Dividing Joint Property Through the Courts Read More »
When you think about planning your estate, you probably focus on who will receive what share of your property. You might not focus as clearly on choosing your personal representative or trustee. Consider your choices carefully: acting as fiduciary is not so much an honor as it is a chore. What is a fiduciary? Lawyers …
Acting as Fiduciary Can Be Hard, Even Dangerous, Work Read More »
If you’ve been responsible, you’ve already signed your own will and powers of attorney. Perhaps you’ve even signed a trust. Have you done any estate planning for your pets? Taking care of your closest friends We don’t mean to suggest you ought to write a will for your cat, or an advance directive for your …
Have You Considered Estate Planning for Your Pets? Read More »
Physician assisted suicide is now an option for terminally ill patients in several US states. Is Arizona one of those states? Is it likely to join the list soon? What do we mean by physician assisted suicide? First, some definition of terms. Doctors, of course, are usually in the business of saving lives and curing …
Is Physician Assisted Suicide an Option for Terminally Ill Arizonans? Read More »
Last week, while writing about Arizona’s new ABLE Act accounts, we realized we have not focused on Section 529 plans before. Let’s take care of that now. What is a 529 plan? Pardon us for starting off all wonky. “529” refers to Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. That tax law makes tax-advantaged education …
529 Plans: Saving for Your Grandchild’s Education Costs Read More »
You probably already know a thing or two about the ABLE Act. It offers new flexibility and autonomy for people with disabilities. Now residents of Arizona can open an ABLE Act account with the new AZ ABLE program. What is ABLE? The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act passed Congress in 2014. It permitted states …
We’ve written about this issue before. Don’t put your property in joint tenancy with your child (or children) as a means of avoiding probate. It’s a mistake. Talk to a lawyer. Why don’t people believe us? Though we write impassioned pieces about the problems with joint tenancy, a funny thing happens when we look at …
I’ve Decided to Put My Accounts in Joint Tenancy to Avoid Probate Read More »
It’s a problem we see increasingly often. A trust will name a trustee, and even a successor trustee. What’s the problem? The successor trustee is not available, or fails to act, or is otherwise no longer the right choice. How does a new trustee take over? It is sometimes difficult to figure out when the new …
Successor Trustee Accepted Role in Timely Fashion Read More »
Theresa Givens settled a personal injury lawsuit in 2011. She would receive a little over $250,000 in settlement proceeds. In order to keep her Medicaid benefits, she put her lawsuit settlement into a pooled special needs trust. Before she could even get any serious benefit from the trust account, she died in November, 2011. Pooled …
Pooled Special Needs Trust Payable to Estate on Beneficiary’s Death Read More »
If you act as guardian or conservator, you know that it can be a challenging job. Sometimes you need legal counsel. If you incur attorney fees, can you charge them to the estate? The general rule is that you can collect your attorney fees from the estate. There are exceptions. If your actions benefit you …
Attorney Fees for Guardian Approved Over Objection Read More »
