So, you finally got around to having a will drawn up—congratulations on taking an important first step in the estate planning process! Although there are some people for whom a will can comprise the entirety of their estate plan, there…
If you have recently moved to Virginia, you might be relieved to know that your will from another state is valid in the state of Virginia. However, even though your will remains valid that might not be enough. There are…
If you are an adult in the United States, you may have taken the time to have an estate plan prepared. If so, then your estate planning attorney may have set up a trust and placed your home in the…
If you missed it, October was National Estate Planning Month. Why? Because more than half of all adults in the U.S. don’t have an estate plan—or even a will—it is certain that estate planning is an often-overlooked component for financial…
Even though you may feel that you don’t have an “estate,” it’s clear that everyone needs estate planning. And though you may be young and healthy, and not really thinking about your mortality, this is the time to “get your…
Being a single parent has added responsibilities, including making sure that your minor children are taken care of in the event you no longer are there. What would happen to your children if you died, or became incapacitated and could…
You may have gotten married or divorced, blended a family, gotten your dream job, bought a house or started a new business, even had twins. You own assets now, and you have people that depend on you and for…
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, only “interested parties” can contest a last will and testament. An interested party is any individual that has standing to challenge the estate and is usually someone who is entitled to receive property under the…
Let’s start with a short story… a very sad and unnecessary scenario: A friend’s domestic partner died in an automobile accident. They had been together for nine years and at the time of his death, she was five months pregnant.…
We’ve all heard the term probate - that a will “has to go through probate.” But, what exactly does the term mean, what is involved once probate begins, and how does it affect beneficiaries of a will? Probate is the…