Wills

The 5 Most Important Estate Planning Documents

What are the 5 Most Important Estate Planning Documents? Noted author and financial planner Suze Orman says, "Estate planning is an important and everlasting gift you can give your family." And she's right. But if you create one, you need to do it right. So first, talk with an estate attorney. Second, make sure your […]

How to Access the Digital Assets, logins, and passwords of Someone who Has Died

Accessing the digital assets of a loved one after they have passed can be difficult. Below are some tips to make it easier for everyone. In the age of Covid-19, most of us do everything electronically. Banking, communicating, paying bills, shopping, storing important papers, photos and contacts, filing taxes, keeping a calendar and reminders, sports […]

Advanced Healthcare Directives in PA

Advanced Healthcare Directives are a necessary group of documents when planning an estate of a loved one, no matter their age. When planning your estate, it is often the best time to discuss how you would like your health care decisions to be made with a living attorney near you in the event you cannot […]

Ancillary Probate and How To Avoid It

Just when you thought you were done with the fine print of a dead loved one's will, you find an "ancillary" problem, in another state. In the following paragraphs, we offer a brief understanding of probate, ancillary probate, and how one can avoid this sometimes tricky situation. Talk to an estate lawyer for more insights. […]

How to Plan a Funeral

People love to make plans-the perfect wedding, that dream vacation, a comfortable retirement, the kitchen remodel.  Making plans is one of the great joys of life- except for when it comes to making plans for the end of it. Understandably, we don’t like to think about—much less make specific plans for—our own deaths or the […]

Revocable Living Trust: Not the Magic Bullet

So what is a revocable living trust?  A trust is a legal written agreement between various individuals:  The individuals involved include the trustmaker, who is the person that creates the trust agreement (also commonly referred to as the grantor, trustor or settlor); the trustee, who is the person that manages the trust assets; and the […]

The Survivor Takes All… NOT ALWAYS

September 27, 2017 by Mary R. LaSota Married without a Will in Pennsylvania?  Do you think your surviving spouse will inherit everything?  Think Again.  For those assets that are not disposed of by Will, or by a beneficiary designation (i.e., 401(k), insurance proceeds, IRA) or by survivorship rights (i.e., tenancy by the entirety, joint tenancy […]

When is a Will Really a Will?

January 10, 2017 By Donald Petrille, Jr. The rules for executing a Will in Pennsylvania are simple and clear.  Unfortunately, life, and its circumstances, often are not, and these circumstances can unwittingly lead to a Will contest. Pennsylvania law is clear.  If someone signs a document which is intended to dispose of property or other […]