What’s Involved in Serving as a Personal Representative (a/k/a "Executor")? An personal representative, sometimes referred to as executor, is the person designated in a Will as the individual who is responsible for performing a number of tasks necessary to wind down the decedent’s affairs. Generally, the personal representative’s responsibilities involve taking charge of the deceased...

Top 5 Overlooked Issues in Estate Planning In planning your estate, you most likely have concerned yourself with “big picture” issues. Who inherits what? Do I need a living trust? However, there are numerous details that are often overlooked, and which can drastically impact the distribution of your estate to your intended beneficiaries. Listed below...

When a loved one passes, some of the first questions asked are: "Did he/she have a Will?"  "Where is the Will?" “Who is in charge of settling the estate?” “What will I receive or inherit from the estate?” “Do we need to probate the Will?” “Do we need a probate lawyer to help us?” These questions are a good...

Considering Online Estate Planning? Think Twice The recent proliferation of online estate planning document services has attracted many do-it-yourselfers who are lured in by what appears to be a low-cost solution. However, this focus on price over value could mean your wishes will not be carried out and, unfortunately, nobody will know there is a...

For most people, finally establishing an estate plan is a big step that they have undertaken after years of delay. A second step is making decisions regarding the personal representative (also referred to as the executor), trustees, beneficiaries, funeral costs and debt, and a third step is actually completing the will. There is, however,...