The contents of a person’s will and related revocable trust cannot be challenged in court until he or she has died, Maryland’s second highest court ruled last week in rejecting a daughter’s bid to revive an undue-influence challenge to her estranged and ailing mother’s decision to write her out of her will.
Even if you’ve already drawn up a will, if you’re in one of these situations, it’s a good idea to review your final wishes and make any necessary changes, so your money and personal belongings are left in the right hands.
It’s an important task that is easy to procrastinate. However, here is why you shouldn’t:
Your estate planning is done, but is it? A periodic review is an important ongoing step to your planning.
Every so often, it’s smart to methodically go through your estate planning documents and see if any tweaks are needed. Here’s a checklist to guide you through that mission.
While legally you may not need all-new estate planning documents if you move to a different state, you should have your documents reviewed by a local attorney in your new home.
Changes in tax laws could be affecting—and outdating—your clients’ wills and bequeathing plans.
After art dealer Andre Zarre died in July, at age 78, his relatives got a surprise call from someone named Jose Yeje, co-owner of a deli in Queens. Yeje told them that, just nine days before his death, Zarre changed his will to name Yeje as the executor and sole beneficiary of his estate, which is worth millions.
Estate planning is the process of transferring the management of your assets, if and when you are unable to manage them yourself due to disability or death. Whether you have $100 or $100 million you should have an estate plan.
When Pablo Picasso died in 1973 at the age of 91, he left behind about 45,000 works of art – so many that it would take the entire Empire State Building to display them all at the same time – and yet he didn’t leave a will.