I am amazed at how little thought, let alone time, most people invest in planning their own funerals! During our lives, we spend an enormous amount of time planning our weddings, vacations, and other events. But when we die, we delegate to others the details of the last event that could make the most significant statement about our lives. What a lost opportunity!

Other than the act of signing the Trust, the most important step in executing the Trust is the funding.  Not funding a Trust makes a Trust document useless.  It is like building a house, but not living in it...

Many of you remember the highly publicized case of Terri Schiavo, the severely incapacitated Florida woman who died March 31, 2005, after a long family struggle over her care. The controversy surrounded the fact that Terri did not have written instructions about her health care wishes while she was in a permanently unconscious state. These written instructions are generally called "Health Care Directives," which include several forms. I am only going to discuss the Living Will in the article...

Ever wondered how a police officer would know whom to contact if you got into an auto accident? Wouldn't you want your friends or family to be notified as soon as possible?

Fear no more...

A primary reason why many people come to us for estate planning is not because they want to make sure that their favorite charity will get a portion of their estate or because they want to choose guardians for their children, but because they want to shield their loved ones from going though the pains of probate.

Not only can probate be very costly, but it can also tie up an estate for years, which can cause delays for heirs in receiving their inheritance and drive legal fees through the roof.