Our Blog - Surety Matters

  Probate is the legal, public process that brings closure to our affairs when we die. Probate protocols vary by state, and at some point, most families will navigate the appropriate proceedings upon the death…
Read Moreabout Probate Complications

  Trusts can play a variety of roles in our estate plans, since they can be specifically set up to attend to particular life circumstances. For example, a retirement plan trust shields the principal of…
Read Moreabout Retirement Plan Trusts Explained

  When a loved one dies without a will, courts may appoint a temporary administrator to take responsibility for fiduciary functions. This ensures that pressing affairs of the estate, like securing a property, are addressed…
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  Families frequently—and mistakenly—believe that when a will exists, probate can be avoided upon the death of a loved one. The fact is, a will needs to be filed in probate court, and this is…
Read Moreabout Filing A Will in Probate Court?

  Establishing a Special Needs Trust for a loved one ensures allows you to think about their needs, including the importance of maintaining eligibility for government benefits. Lawyers explain how a trust can be customized…
Read Moreabout Customizing A Special Needs Trust

Avoid Disputes In addition to all the other important reasons to carefully prepare a will and or trust, is this one: having a solid estate plan is the best way to avoid the disputes that…
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  There is nothing inherently bad about probate. Simply put, probate is the legal, public process that brings closure to our affairs when we die. Although most states offer expedited processes depending upon the level…
Read Moreabout Can You Avoid Probate? Should You?

Simply put, everyone from the age of 18 on up needs an estate plan: the tools that will arm our loved ones to attend to our affairs. Ideally, they won’t need these legal documents for…
Read Moreabout 18 and Up?

Families of children with special needs have extra to worry about in life—and estate planning. What happens, for example, if a family intends to leave a co-op apartment to an adult child with special needs?…
Read Moreabout Co-ops, Trusts and Special Needs?