Estate Planning & Probate

If you are ever worried about how your beneficiaries will spend their inheritance once you are gone, you should consider setting up a revocable trust. It's a solution to help you exert control over your assets, even after you are no longer around. A revocable living...

If you cannot make decisions on your own behalf, whether that's due to aging, injury or disease, you need someone else to make them for you. This person is your agent, and the right to make these decisions is given to them through a power of attorney designation. If...

From a technical perspective, adult children should not expect to inherit anything, as they have no right to do so. That is to say, you do not have to leave assets to every one of your heirs -- and they are not being wronged, legally speaking, if you choose not to do...

When your loved one passes, all property they owned, such as real estate, stocks, money and so on, form part of their estate. Estate administration is the process of managing a deceased’s property. It involves paying any outstanding debts or taxes and distributing the...

When people want to challenge the validity of a last will and testament in North Carolina, they do so by initiating what is known as a caveat proceeding. This is a kind of civil lawsuit that determines whether or not a will that is in the process of being probated...

Your estate plan focuses on dividing things equally between your three children. That has always been your goal. You know how common disputes are when the plan is not equal for all. Your will quite simply splits things into thirds: your investments, your bank...

The bigger your assets, the more important it is to plan carefully for them in your estate. Your real estate and financial accounts require careful planning, but so does your business.  There are many different ways for you to address your business in your estate plan...

As the executor of an estate, it is your responsibility to handle someone's property, repay their creditors and distribute property to their heirs. Often, real estate holdings are the most valuable and important assets in someone's estate. Sometimes, you only need to...

One aspect to consider regarding a trust is its flexibility. If life changes, will the trust that you create still meet your goals? Does it have the ability to shift as needed? For instance, imagine that you have a grandchild and you set up a trust to cover the cost...

If you're thinking about writing your will in North Carolina, there's no time like the present. You might have to revise it later in life, but it'll be easier once you've already assessed and valued most of your assets. Just make sure you include everything in your...