By Tim Barkley. March 2026. Q: My spouse just died. What do I need to think about? A: I’m so sorry to hear. You need to contact his life insurance and retirement benefits administrators, and claim any benefits due you, including rolling over his 401(k) or IRA to a...
By Tim Barkley. February 2026. Q: My wife passed away, and she had inherited some antique cars. We’ve kept them in storage. I think they’re still in her father’s name. I have a buyer. How can I sell them? A: That’s a bit complex. You’ll need to have the title...
By Tim Barkley. January 2026. Q: My mother can’t find her will that she did through your office. Do you have a copy? A: We probably have an electronic copy, but that’s not necessarily helpful. If you can’t produce the original when she dies, it’s assumed that she...
By Tim Barkley. May 2025. Probate. The word has achieved a Dickensian notoriety conjuring up greedy lawyers, helpless widows and children, and unscrupulous creditors. The avoidance of probate is now a cottage industry, carried on in the back offices of lawyers and...
February 2025 Q: Do I need a trust? I’ve heard that I need one to avoid “probate.” What is “probate”? A: There are many reasons to use a trust, but you shouldn’t need to pay the fees for a trust just to avoid probate, the legal system that gets dead people’s stuff to...
