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Beneficiaries Wills Spouses

Walkers

The importance of a will in estate planning

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Speaking about death can be difficult but planning ahead brings peace of mind and protects loved ones from unnecessary stress. Having a professionally drafted will ensures your wishes are followed and your estate is handled...more

Saul Ewing LLP

The Florida Homestead

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There are three aspects of the Florida Homestead law. One is the “save our homes” exemption. The save our homes exemption limits how much the value of the homestead can be increased from year to year for purposes of assessing...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families

Welcome to The Verdict: Estate Planning Through Film. I'm Hons Yung, and today I’m joined by Farella Senior Associate Taylor Porter to discuss the movie Mamma Mia! With ABBA's blend of pop, rock, and disco setting the tone,...more

Lewitt Hackman

Second Marriage Prenup: Protecting Your Assets and Loved Ones

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While second marriages represent a fresh start and an exciting journey, consider the potential financial and legal outcomes before you re-tie the knot. A prenuptial agreement (prenup), a contract that outlines both spouses’...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

What Gene Hackman’s Estate Reveals About Proper Estate Planning

The recent death of legendary actor, Gene Hackman, age 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, age 65, has brought attention to the complexities surrounding their estate and illustrates the need for proper estate planning. At his...more

Stark & Stark

The Omitted Spouse Claim Against an Estate

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Despite an intention to add a spouse or domestic partner to their Will, at times a decedent may neglect to do so prior to his/her death. Under such circumstances, however, a surviving spouse or domestic partner may be...more

Jaburg Wilk

Five Important Considerations When Creating Estate Plans for a Blended Family

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Blending families often introduce unique dynamics. In addition to the day-to-day challenges and opportunities that blended families create, there is also careful planning to consider when creating or updating an estate plan....more

Foster Swift Collins & Smith

Protecting Same-Sex Marriage Assets in Michigan If Obergefell is Ever Overturned

When the Supreme Court made its landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, same-sex couples across the country gained the right to marry. But with recent shifts in the legal landscape, such as the overturning of Roe...more

Barnea Jaffa Lande & Co.

Rulings On One Sided Changes To Mutual Wills overturned

A new Supreme Court ruling overturns lower courts’ rulings and regulates the application of the “successive heirs” provision of the Succession Law, in instances when a surviving spouse who inherited property by virtue of a...more

Bowditch & Dewey

10 Reasons Why You Should Make Estate Planning Your New Year’s Resolution

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People often assume that if their estate isn’t taxable, they don’t need to have an estate plan. In 2024, a Massachusetts estate tax return must be filed if the value of the deceased person’s gross estate exceeds $2 million. A...more

The Estate Lawyers

Divorce Need Not Ignite Estate Litigation, But Too Often It Does

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Certain life events demand that estate planners work with client testators to adjust their estate plans. Divorce and remarriage are at the top of that list. When matrimony devolves into acrimony – setting the stage for...more

Dickinson Wright

Ontario Court of Appeal Clarifies Limitation Periods for Loans, Gifts, and Estate Claims

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The question of when a lawsuit can be commenced in Ontario seems pretty straightforward – in general, a plaintiff has two years from the date when the basis for a claim is (or should have been) discovered. It sounds simple...more

Bowditch & Dewey

Remember to Adjust Your Estate Plan During or After a Divorce

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Married couples often have wills naming one another as their primary beneficiary. People also often name their spouse as beneficiary of retirement accounts and life insurance policies. Upon commencing a divorce action,...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Estate Planning for Couples

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Let's be honest.  Legal documents are not written in anyone's love language.  On Valentines Day, we undoubtedly would prefer to exchange thoughtful presents, enjoy an intimate meal with our significant other, or blush at the...more

Winstead PC

Court Reverses Summary Judgments On The Alleged Exercise Of A Power Of Appointment, Disclaimer, And The Statute Of Limitations

Winstead PC on

In In re Estate of Wells, No. 12-23-00066-CV, 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 8475 (Tex. App.—Tyler November 8, 2023, no pet. history). The testator left a will that created a trust for his wife and descendants, named his wife as the...more

Kerr Russell

Recently Married? Consider These Steps To Protect Your Future

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In Michigan, the process for an individual to take their spouse’s last name is fairly simple, but does require taking action with both the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Michigan Secretary of State. The first...more

Winstead PC

Court Reversed Summary Judgment And Held That There Was A Fact Issue On Whether The Testator Had Mental Capacity To Execute A Will

Winstead PC on

In Castello v. Ex’r of the Est. of Castello, the decedent died leaving a will that left his property to his wife “for life” and then to his three children by a prior marriage. No 03-22-00012-CV 2023 Tex. App. LEXIS 4454 (Tex....more

Awatif Mohammad Shoqi Advocates & Legal...

Legal Procedures on Selling Heirs' Inherited Property in the UAE

In the United Arab Emirates, inheritance and wills are governed by a combination of Sharia law and civil laws. The legal framework for Muslim individuals' wills and inheritance is primarily based on the Federal Law No....more

Bowditch & Dewey

Beyond Taxes: 10 Important Reasons Why Everyone Needs an Estate Plan

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People often assume that if their estate isn’t taxable, they don’t need to have an estate plan. In 2023, a Massachusetts estate tax return must be filed if the value of the deceased person’s gross estate exceeds $1 million. A...more

Downey Brand LLP

Should “Dutiful Children” and “Dutiful Spouses” Be Exempt from the Undue Influence Presumption?

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California trust and estate disputes often feature claims by one sibling that another gained a larger share by unduly influencing a parent. When there are factors suggesting undue influence, who should bear the burden of...more

Winstead PC

Court Holds That Trust Owned Mineral Interests And Not The Settlor’s Wife

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In Moore v. Estate of Moore, a decedent’s wife claimed that she had an interest in an oil and gas lease formerly owned by her deceased husband. No. 07-20-00019-CV, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 6142 (Tex. App.—Amarillo July 30, 2021,...more

Ruder Ware

Getting Started: Estate Planning for Young Families

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For many people, the first time they start thinking about an estate plan is when they start to have family members that depend on them financially – typically, a spouse or a child. Let’s take, for example, a young married...more

Ruder Ware

Who Gets Your Property if You Die Without a Will?

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Some clients decide to hire an attorney to prepare their estate planning documents because they do not like the default laws in Wisconsin about who gets their property if they die without a will. In Wisconsin, if you die...more

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