Wills and Trusts

In the Wills and Trusts Center, you'll find out whether wills and trusts are something you should consider, whether making a will now is a good idea, how to find a lawyer in your area who's an expert at drawing up wills and trusts, and can guide you in the legal aspects of creating wills and planning your estate and its distribution. You'll find tips and advice including general information about wills and trusts so that you can make an informed decision regarding your estate, and even asset protection in the case of future admittance to a nursing home or other facility.

All Wills and Trusts Articles

Beneficiary and Fiduciary Liability
It can be either a blessing or a curse to be appointed as the Personal Representative of an estate or Trustee of a trust (collectively a “Fiduciary”). One of the most over looked aspects of the job...
Charitable Gift Annuity
A charitable gift annuity or CGA allows a beneficiary to receive fixed annual income payments from the receiving charity for the life of the annuitant or for a set amount of time. The person that makes the gift is called the donor and the person that receives the payments is called the annuitant or beneficiary. The donor can also be an annuitant or the donor can make the gift for scheduled income payments to be made to one or two beneficiaries.
Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust
A charitable remainder annuity trust or CRAT is an irrevocable trust that is established as a Planned Giving agreement between a donor and a charitable organization. The donor contributes a substantial gift in the form of cash, equity, liquid assets, appreciated stock, bonds, or real property to the charitable remainder annuity trust. A trustee manages and oversees all transactions of the trust including the sale of assets in the trust and the reinvesting of proceeds. The trustee can be the charitable organization, bank, lawyer, or finical advisor. The trustee then makes regula
Creating a Will
Creating a Last Will and Testament and a Living Will is one of the most important things any individual can do for his/her family and heirs. A Last Will and Testament legally authorizes the wishes of the creator, the testator, to be committed for execution upon his/her death. A Living Will legally speaks for a person who cannot speak for him/herself because of a catastrophic health condition or trauma that might leave the person incapacitated.
Estate Planning Information
Estate planning information is vital to anyone making arrangements to bequeath their estate to the heirs. An estate-planning lawyer can provide vital estate planning information to help an estate owner discern local inheritance laws in any particular jurisdiction and maximize the amount of the estate that will pass to the beneficiaries.
Estate Planning Trust
An estate planning trust or a trust is a financial vehicle created by a grantor for the benefit of the beneficiaries named in the trust. The trust can hold property, assets, or funds donated by the grantor. The estate planning trust and any holdings within it is managed by a trustee. The trustee can be a trust company, bank, individual, or group designated by the grantor. The trustee can al
Estate Planning and Intestacy
Estate planning and intestacy refer to two different aspects of financial planning. Proper estate planning includes making an appropriate Last Will and Testament that includes the entire of estate of the grantor or estate owner for proper distribution among the heirs or beneficiaries of the estate. If an estate owner dies with a proper Last Will and Testament in place he/she is said to have died testate. If the estate owner failed to create a Last Will and Testament before dying, he/she is said to have died intestate. If the owner of an estate dies but his/her Last Will and Testament do

Estate Planning and Irrevocable Trust
Estate planning and irrevocable trust are important tools in any financial planning strategy that can save your family time and money in probate court. An irrevocable trust is a financial arrangement much like other forms of trusts except that the grantor relinquishes ownership and control of the property, assets, and any funds in the trust. An irrevocable trust cannot be revoked, modified, or terminated by the grantor once created, except with the permission of the beneficiaries. The grantor is not allowed to withdraw any contributions from the irrevocable trust. Once the grantor donat
Protecting Assets from Taxation
While the options for protecting assets from taxation are becoming increasingly limited, it is still possible to prevent the IRS from becoming the main beneficiary of your estate.
Transfer on Death Deed
Nearly everyone who thinks about death, who cares about how much of an inheritance he will leave to his survivors, and who doesn’t particularly want to make a lawyer wealthy, says
Wills and Estate Planning
Wills and estate planning are designed to distribute the assets of the estate owner to the heirs and beneficiaries while reducing the time and cost of the probate court process. Wills and estate planning are a crucial part of any well-designed financial plan.
Wills and Trusts
Wills and Trusts can be viewed as tools used in estate planning. There is a general misconception that wills and trusts should be of interest only to the wealthy. This is an absolute falsehood. Fact of the matter is an estate plan provides the legal mechanism for disposing of property upon death in a way that recognizes your wishes and the needs of your survivors, while minimizing taxes. For many it involves, even more importantly, planning for the handling of affairs in case of disability, and the deeply personal medical choices to be made as life nears its end.

Attorney Search

Enter your zipcode or search for a lawyer by city & state

Zip Code

-- OR --

Enter Your Location

Wills and Trusts

Recommended Articles

Find a Wills and Trusts Lawyer

All Wills and Trusts Articles

Attorney Search

Estate Planning Topics

Sponsored Resources