By Tim Barkley. November 2025. Q: I signed my will in another state. I wrote it out by hand. There are no witnesses, but it is notarized. Is it valid here? A: A valid Maryland will must be in writing, intended to be a will, signed by the “testator” (the person making...
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...
By Tim Barkley. August 2025. Q: What happens if I don’t write a will? A: Your “estate” – everything you own that has no living joint owner or beneficiary – will be administered through “probate” and distributed under state “intestacy” statutes. Sometimes that’s OK,...
By Tim Barkley. June 2025. Q: My child is headed to college. Is there anything I need to think about? A: Your child needs financial and medical powers of attorney (“POA’s”). Even though you’re the Mom, once your child becomes an adult his or her financial and medical...
By Tim Barkley. March 2025. “I don’t need a power of attorney. My spouse and I own everything jointly.” “My daughter is on all my accounts, so I don’t need a power of attorney.” “I’m not letting anybody take control over me! I’m not signing that paper!” “I don’t want...
