Yardley Estate Planning And Probate Law Blog

I just recevied a call from a prospective client.  She had an issue that, unfortunately, happens to many people.  However, it can be avoided with proper planning. The caller's mother died without a Will and her primary property was her home.  Her husband predeceased...

Over the last 2 days, I have discussed TOD, POD, Joint Ownership, Beneficiary Designations.  You want to title your assets to meet your specific needs and not have Unintended Consequences. If you retitle your asset into a joint title with rights of survivorship, you...

Two popular forms of joint ownership are Joint Tenancy and Tenancy by the Entirety.  The Tenancy by the Entirety is limited to joint ownership between spouses. The Joint Tenancy allows joint ownership between any two or more persons.  One of the distinguishing...

Many clients have asked whether Payable On Death (POD) accounts and Transfer On Death (TOD) accounts will have the same effect as a Will.  A bank account titled as a POD account with a seignaed beneficiary and a brokerage account titled as a TOD account with a...

The administrator or executor of an estate must do a final accounting prior to distribution to the beneficiaries.  The final accounting can be done formally, ie. filed with the court, or an informal family settlement agreement can be used.  Even in the informal...

It is so important that you make a Will.  But, the question often arises what happens if you die without a Will?  If there is no Will at death, the intestate laws of the state apply. A question was posed regarding the death of a spouse leaving a wife and 5 children...

Clients often want to know should they set up a trust to avoid probate in Pennsylvania.  Though in some states, you want to avoid probate due to cost and the length of time involved, Pennsylvania does not fall into that category.  However, you still want to understand...

One of my clients recently posed a question regarding the General Power of Attorney.  She serves as Agent under her mother's General Power of Attorney.  Her mother is now unable to handle any of her affairs.  She does not have the capacity to make a Will which she...

I remember when I was a child how time seemed to drag on.  Summer was forever and of course the school year was forever as well.  Now, Summer breezes by; Fall leaves quickly, Winter thaws swiftly; and Spring flowers rapidly.  I suggest that if we were to slow down and...