» advance directives

Long-term care planning is a must for any senior citizen, but as costs continue to drastically climb, the prospect of being able to fund long-term care seems next to impossible. While there are more options available today for senior care, some of which are far less expensive than others, it can be difficult to determine […]

Every week, I meet with prospective new clients who are interested in doing estate planning. And invariably, one of my first questions is “have you done any estate planning before?” It’s a simple question, only used for information gathering. But every week, without fail, some of these people look at me sheepishly and say […]

Preparing to send your son or daughter to college is one of the most exciting, and nerve-wrecking times for a parent! You’ll worry whether they will eat properly, study enough, and get enough sleep. While we can’t help with these everyday concerns, our College Protection Plan can help with one of the big ones: making […]

Many Michigan residents own real estate outside the state. Whether it is a Florida beach house, a Kentucky lake home, or a Wisconsin cabin in the woods, you will have take extra steps to ensure that you include that property in your estate plan. If your will must go through probate in the state of […]

Whether you choose to add your adult child to your bank account depends upon your needs and your objectives in doing so. Some individuals place adult children on their bank accounts simply to make it easier for the children to help them with financial activities, such as writing checks, paying bills, and purchasing food, toiletry […]

When most people think of a trust, they are referring to a traditional revocable living trust, which is a common estate planning technique that is designed to easily transfer assets to the trust’s beneficiaries after death without the hassle and expense of going through probate. Revocable living trusts are extremely difficult, in that the person […]

Acting as the executor or personal representative of anyone’s estate comes with significant responsibilities. Completing all of these duties can be complicated and typically requires the assistance of an experienced estate administration attorney who can guide you through the probate process and prepare the legal documents that you are required to submit to the probate […]

Payable on death (POD) accounts and transfer on death (TOD) accounts are very similar, in that they pass account proceeds directly to the person of your choice upon your death, without going through the probate process. The only difference between the two types of accounts is that PODs are bank accounts, and TODs are brokerage […]

While most people are probably familiar with the concept of a will, they may not have extensive knowledge about what a basic Michigan estate plan entails. There are various documents that comprise a comprehensive estate plan, and those documents may vary somewhat from one individual to the next, depending on their unique circumstances. Some documents, […]

In today’s age of do-it-yourself (DIY) home repairs, instructional YouTube videos on every possible subject, and Pinterest, it is no surprise that DIY wills and estate planning documents have emerged into mainstream America. Essentially, these forms and templates use boilerplate language in an attempt to create a one-size-fits-all solution to your estate planning needs. Since […]