Estate Planning Checklist

If you do not have a will, make a plan to write your own will or hire an attorney now to create one for you.

A will is part of a total estate plan. All of us have an estate. Here are the parts and steps needed as part of estate planning.


1) Prepare a will. If there is no will, the courts will decide who gets your possessions.

2) Gather important documents which are tied to your estate. Deeds, trusts, stocks, etc.

3) Consider using estate planning software to create your legal will. Have an attorney review your finished documents.

4) Have your will notarized and witnessed by the appropriate number of witnesses for your state.

5) Regularly review your estate plan for changes such as the inclusion of later children, the death of a recipient, divorce or other legal changes in status.

6) Make a list of assets and liabilities.

7) Name an executor who will oversee your legal will after your demise.

8) Choose a guardian for your children.

9) Have a signed copy of your legal will. Keep other copies on hand as well.

10) Review your estate plan every few years.

11) Keep your insurance policies available to all after your death. Avoid delays opening safe deposit boxes.

12) Verify the type of joint ownership you have on your property.

California Probate Attorneys

What do California Probate Attorneys do?

If you live in California and need a will, trust or probate law services, then you need a probate attorney who is licensed in California.

Why?

First, whether you need a probate attorney in California, Texas or Alaska, proper estate planning is crucial. Estate planning protects your assets and provides for your loved ones and charitable endeavors after your demise.

California has a very particular set of probate laws and requirements. For instance, did you know the probate fees simply for filing in California may depend upon the value of your estate?

Or what will your loved ones do if after your demise, your will is contested in California court? Who will represent them and you and work to carry out your wishes in the manner you prescribed in your last will and testament?

Having a competent and licensed probate attorney to handle your final wishes or create a trust and protect you and your assets from court proceedings and unnecessary taxes is mandatory and good common sense.

How do you find a good probate attorney in California?

The California State Bar Association has a referral program and list of suggestions available on their website. Another resource on California probate law can be found here.

Also, you can check your phone directory, but verify that the probate attorney you select is licensed and certified in probate law, trusts, wills and estate planning before making your decision.

Estate Planning

Don't let the term estate planning intimidate you. First, an estate merely describes personal assets including a home and money. All of us have an estate according to the law and it is important that you have a legal will.

Your estate may consist of assets such as your home, car, recreational vehicle or watercraft, boat, furniture, art and antiques, investments, savings, checking accounts and retirement funds.

Are you aware of how many possessions you have and their value or will you wait until your passing and leave that task to your heirs? At that time, your loved ones and survivors will be faced with the task of deciding what to do with your possessions and how to distribute them according to the will and whim of the court. Estate planning allows you to create the neccessary legal documents and procedures to determine ahead of time how best to handle your worldly possessions upon our death.

Estate Planning starts today. Get a legal will!

Heath Ledger: Legal will not updated

"Dark Knight", the new Batman movie starring the late Heath Ledger has broubht back into the limelight the problems caused with Ledger's lack of an updated legal will.

Ledger and feance Michelle Williams had a daughter, Matilda, and Ledger's will was not updated to reflect provisions for Williams or Matilda.

Having a will is the first step towards piece of mind. Not having an updated will is not a good idea. Ledger's daughter was not provided for and will now have to let Ledger's family in Austrailia decide which assets she will have access to.

For more information on legal wills, creating a will or legal forms, visit www.will.com.

Legal Will: Do you need a Legal Will?

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Wills - Why do you need one?

If you own property of any type, car, home, business, personal possessions, you are probably not too worried about those things right now. After all, you own them and have the paperwork or documentation to prove your ownership. Seems like a nobrainer right?

But let's say while you are driving to work today you are tragically killed in an auto accident? What happens from that moment on to your possessions? Do they automatically go to your spouse, children or parents?

Although it varies in several states, generally your property will go to your spouse if you are married. But without a will, there is still a chance someone could contest their claim and hold your possessions up in court litigation for years.

That's right. Years.

And if an settlement cannot be reached, your home, car, furniture, valuables and even pets could be placed in receivership indefinitely until a settlement is reached in court. All because you did not have a legal will.

So what can you do? A few suggestions.

Check out your local bookstore and look for a legal kit or do it yourself will. They have them and some are pretty good. But face it, if you are not an attorney, you might be in trouble going it alone.

You can also check out some of the great legal form companies online like those from US Legal Forms. They have online forms you can fill out and you know they are lawyer approved and guaranteed.

Or you can consult your yellow pages or Legal Match for a pre-screened, certified lawyer.

Or you can do nothing. After all, without a legal will you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. Right?

Do you have a legal will?

A will is a legal document which clearly outlines what should happen to your property upon your death. It is a fact that most states decide how property is allocated to survivors in instances where someone dies without a legal will.

Imagine if your children were not provided with financial support. Or your home was auctioned off and the proceeds given to an unfriendly relative who laid claim to your property in court.

Worse, imagine if the court and government took position of your property and held it, interest free, in probate for years while it decided what to do with your assets!

It can happen and it does happen to many every year who have no legal will.

Take the time now to consider what you can do today to prepare and provide for your assets and property. Get your legal will now.