When parents plan their estates, one key inclusion is guardianships. This is especially important for parents of children who may never be able to live on their own. And, while planning for our deaths is a scary conversation, for parents, it is one we need to have as...
Estate Planning
Power of attorney abuse: Who is culpable?
Power of attorney gives someone the legal authority to act for someone else. It is common for aging adults to authorize a trusted agent to make financial or medical decisions on their behalf upon the loss of mental or physical capacity. While those with power of...
Common estate planning mistakes to avoid
Making an estate plan is the best thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones here in North Carolina. Despite your good intentions, mistakes can make the life of your loved ones harder than expected, even as they deal with the normal grief of losing a family...
Why should you have a health care directive?
If you’ve spent the time creating your will, you may feel like that task is complete. You can rest assured your requests will be honored upon your death. But an estate plan is not just for wills and trusts. There can be another critical portion of your estate plan...
How guardianships help North Carolina families
Guardianships can play an important role in the lives of North Carolina families. When a guardianship is set up, an individual or agency is appointed by the court to make decisions on behalf of a person who does not have adequate capacity to make decisions for...
Are Millennials finally estate planning?
As estate planning has risen in popularity over the past few years, perhaps, the largest uptick in estate planners has been Millennials, at least according to a study by Trust & Will. It may come as a shock to some, but this age group is the age group now starting...
Don’t let DIY efforts ruin your estate plan
There are a lot of online self-help resources addressing everything from cooking to budgeting and knitting. A quick search will even turn up templates and guides for how to create an estate plan. While utilizing these do-it-yourself resources may save you time and...
What to look for if a will is challenged
A will is an important component of most estate plans. For that reason, estate planners will want to ensure that their will is a valid and to do that need to know what the components of a valid will are. Legal capacity: estate planners must have legal capacity to...
How second marriages make estate planning tricky
Planning a second marriage should involve more than deciding where to hold the ceremony. You may want to look past the nuptials and into the future by creating a solid estate plan. Second marriages include more elements than your first go-round. With so many factors...
Effective ways to put charitable giving in your estate plan
People in the Charlotte area who are planning what will happen with their wealth after they die may want to include charitable giving in that plan. Many North Carolina residents have causes and organizations which are dear to them. Speaking more generally, they may...
