By Tim Barkley. October 2025. Q: My will and powers of attorney are 30 years old. Do they need to be redrafted? A: Your documents don’t need to be redrafted just because of their age, but their might be other changes to the law, terminology, technology or societal...
December 2024 Q: I have established 529 plans for my grandchildren and have purchased life insurance policies on their lives. Is there anything else I need to do? A: Yes! You should do two things. First, since you’re the custodian of the 529 plans and owner of the...
November 2024 Q: Who are all these people mentioned in my documents? A: Allow me to clarify: Fiduciary – person who acts in a position of trust over another person or that person’s assets – everyone below is a particular kind of fiduciary. Trustee – fiduciary...
August 2024. Q: My mother just died. Do I need to do probate? A: If there was anything just in her name, with no living joint owner or beneficiary, then we have something that nobody owns. Nobody can take money out of a bank account that nobody owns; nobody can sell a...
May 2024. The vacation is all planned, tickets bought, pet sitters engaged, but … “Hon, did we ever sign that will?” “What will? The one you downloaded? No, because we could never figure out the thing for the kids’ money.” “Oh, yeah. Well, do you want to pull it up...
