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. 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...
January 2025 The increasing availability of information on the Internet doesn’t obviate the need for wisdom … knowing how to apply that information for the benefit of those who need it. Simply knowing that something called “probate” might be avoided and maybe should...
September 2024. Q: I’ve signed a Life Estate Deed so that my children will receive full ownership of my house without probate. Is there anything else I have to do? A: Yes. It is still your responsibility to pay the mortgage, taxes and insurance – believe it or not,...
