Photo: Paige Cody / UnsplashCore documents
- Family and estate
Estate Planning Checklist by Life Stage: What You Need in Your 20s Through Retirement
A practical estate planning checklist for each life stage, including wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, guardianship and trusts, and when to update them.
4 min read - Legal documents
Last Will and Testament: What It Should Include and How to Make It Valid
A practical guide to the contents of a will, signing and witness rules, safe storage and when to use a lawyer instead of a template.
4 min read - Family and estate
How to Write a Will: A Practical Checklist
Steps to create a valid will, what to include, signing requirements and common mistakes to avoid.
3 min read - Family and estate
Will vs. Living Trust: Which One Do You Need?
Understand the differences between a will and a revocable living trust, including probate, privacy, cost and when each makes sense.
5 min read - Family and estate
Power of Attorney: Types, Uses and How to Choose an Agent
General, limited, durable, healthcare and springing powers of attorney explained in plain language.
4 min read - Family and estate
Living Wills and Advance Directives: Planning for Medical Decisions
How a living will and a healthcare proxy work together to state your medical wishes if you cannot speak for yourself.
5 min read - Family and estate
Beneficiary Designations vs. Wills: Which One Controls?
Why beneficiary forms on retirement accounts and life insurance override a will and how to keep them current.
2 min read - Family and estate
Codicils and Will Changes: Updating a Will Safely
What a codicil is, when to amend or rewrite a will, signing requirements and mistakes that can invalidate changes.
3 min read
Trusts and avoiding probate
- Family and estate
Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts: Differences and Uses
How revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts work, their purposes, control, taxes and creditor protection.
2 min read - Family and estate
How to Fund a Living Trust: Retitling Assets and Avoiding Common Mistakes
How to transfer real estate, bank accounts, investments and other assets into a revocable living trust, what to leave out and why unfunded trusts fail.
3 min read - Family and estate
How to Avoid Probate: Trusts, Beneficiary Designations, Joint Ownership and More Compared
A fair comparison of ways to avoid or simplify probate, including living trusts, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, TOD deeds and small estate procedures, with pros and cons.
3 min read - Family and estate
Transfer on Death Deeds: Passing a Home Without Probate
How a transfer on death deed works, which states allow it, how to revoke it and the tradeoffs compared with a will or trust.
3 min read - Family and estate
Joint Tenancy and Right of Survivorship: How Co-Owned Property Passes
How joint tenancy, tenancy in common and tenancy by the entirety differ and what happens to property when an owner dies.
2 min read - Family and estate
Special Needs Trusts: Protecting Benefits for a Person With a Disability
How special needs trusts let a person with a disability receive money without losing benefits such as SSI and Medicaid.
4 min read - Family and estate
Pet Trusts: Making Sure Your Animals Are Cared For
How a pet trust works, who can be a caretaker and trustee, how much to set aside and alternatives to a trust.
3 min read
Probate and after a death
- Family and estate
What to Do When a Loved One Dies: A Legal and Practical Checklist
Step-by-step checklist after a death: first days, death certificates, finding the will, notifying agencies, handling bills, probate, taxes and protecting yourself from scams.
3 min read - Family and estate
The Probate Process Explained Step by Step
What probate is, how long it takes, what an executor does and which assets avoid it.
4 min read - Family and estate
What Does an Executor Do? Duties and Responsibilities
The main duties of an executor of an estate, from filing the will to paying debts and distributing property.
4 min read - Family and estate
Small Estate Affidavits: Skipping Formal Probate for Smaller Estates
How small estate procedures work, who can use them, what limits apply by state and the steps to collect a loved one's property.
3 min read - Family and estate
Intestacy: Who Inherits When There Is No Will?
How state intestacy laws decide who inherits when someone dies without a will and how to start the process.
4 min read - Family and estate
How to Contest a Will: Grounds, Deadlines and Standing
Who can challenge a will, the common grounds such as lack of capacity or undue influence and the short deadlines.
4 min read - Family and estate
Digital Assets After Death: Email, Photos, Crypto and Online Accounts
How to plan for online accounts, cloud files and cryptocurrency after death, what laws allow executors to access and what to put in your will.
3 min read
Long-term care, taxes and getting help
- Family and estate
Medicaid Planning and the Five-Year Look-Back: Paying for Long-Term Care Without Losing Everything
How Medicaid pays for nursing home care, asset and income limits, the five-year look-back rule, exempt assets, spousal protections and why to get elder law advice.
3 min read - Family and estate
Elder Law and Medicaid Basics: Paying for Long-Term Care
How Medicaid covers long-term care, asset and income limits, the five-year look-back and why professional advice matters.
2 min read - Family and estate
Estate Taxes and Inheritance Taxes: The Basics
How federal estate tax and state estate and inheritance taxes work, who pays them and common ways to reduce them.
2 min read - Family and estate
Do I Need an Estate Planning Lawyer? Costs, DIY Options and When to Hire One
When online wills work, when an estate planning lawyer is worth it, typical fee structures, what to ask and low-cost alternatives for seniors and low-income families.
3 min read - Family and estate
Guardianship and Conservatorship: How They Work
When a court appoints a guardian or conservator for a minor or incapacitated adult, the process and the alternatives.
4 min read - Family and estate
Life Insurance Claims: How Beneficiaries Get Paid
How to file a life insurance claim, how long it takes, why claims are delayed or denied and what to do if there is a dispute.
2 min read
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a will?
If you have minor children, property or want to choose who receives your assets, yes. Without a will, state law decides.
What is the difference between a will and a living trust?
A will takes effect at death and goes through probate. A funded living trust can avoid probate and manage assets if you become incapacitated.
Does a will avoid probate?
No. A will is what the probate court uses to distribute assets.
How often should I update my estate plan?
After major life events and every few years.
Do I need an estate planning lawyer?
Not always for simple estates, but a lawyer is wise for blended families, businesses, taxable estates, special needs or Medicaid planning.