What Happens to My House When I Die in Virginia?
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…
Did You Miss National Estate Planning Month?
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…
Are You Too Young for an Estate Plan in Virginia?
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…
The Importance of Estate Planning for the Single Parent
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…
I Think I Need a Will and I Have Questions
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…
How Do You Contest a Will in Virginia?
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…
I Have a Domestic Partner, Do I Need a Will?
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.…
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Probate
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…
What Happens if a Person Dies Without a Will in Virginia?
Over 55 percent of American adults have neither a will nor any other type of estate plan in place. This number has remained fairly steady for the past fifteen years. Without a will or some other estate plan in place,…
Problems with DIY Wills
Of course, it is possible to prepare your own will—just as it is possible for you to stitch up your own forehead with a needle and thread instead of going to all the trouble to go see a doctor, meaning…