January is the month in which many Michigan residents set new goals for themselves and plan for the months ahead. It is a time they choose to start fresh and accomplish things they have been putting off for far too long. Estate planning is not something many people...
Michigan Legal Leaders Providing Personal Attention
Michigan Estate Planning Law Blog
The pitfalls of incentive trusts
If you are pondering your estate-planning options, one possibility you may be considering is an incentive trust. These trusts work to motivate your beneficiaries to strive toward certain pre-set goals as conditions for receiving disbursements from the trust. Let’s...
Some ways to prevent others from contesting your will
Throughout your life, you have been a peacemaker, seeking to avoid conflicts and making sure that everyone got along. But when it comes to the reading of your will, you may be fooling yourself into thinking that matters will go smoothly. A surprise may or may not be...
Are your beneficiary designations up to date?
One of the best things Michigan residents can do to protect their assets and their loved ones is to make sure that the information on any accounts and legal documents they have is accurate and up to date. Making sure beneficiary designations represent one’s current...
Should you take on the role of a fiduciary?
If you have a loved one who has suggested that they’d like you to be a fiduciary for their estate, what that means is that they may want to add you as the executor, as the trustee of a trust or to assign you as a power of attorney. As a fiduciary, you’ll be...
Possible topics to keep in mind when choosing an executor
As you work toward creating a plan to safeguard your future interests, there is a chance you may encounter a variety of essential topics to address and difficult decisions to make. One such topic could pertain to choosing an executor to act on your behalf and carry...
Why do you need a financial power of attorney?
One of the critical aspects of your estate plan is having a financial power of attorney set up. This is the individual who will pay your bills and handle other financial matters if you’re unable to do so yourself. There are many factors that you should consider when...
Wondering if you have a case for probate litigation?
After losing a loved one, you hope that you can get through Michigan’s estate administration process as quickly and pain-free as possible. Unfortunately, for many, things don’t work out that way. There are reasons to delay administration in order to resolve certain...
Setting up your long-term care plan manners
Long-term care planning is about more than making sure you have the support you need when you age. Perhaps more importantly, it’s about protecting the people who are going to care for you the majority of the time: your family. Did you know that around 70% of retirees...
Michigan estate administration: Gaining access to digital assets
Closing out a loved one’s estate takes time, especially if he or she failed to grant anyone access to certain assets. Digital assets, in particular, can be troublesome to deal with during the estate administration process, whether it is completed in Michigan or...