Probate And Estate Administration

What happens in California to a loved one’s debt in the wake of his or her passing?That is a question often posed to estate planning attorneys, and a query that just as often naturally leads to a spotlighting of the probate process. Narrowly termed, probate is...

Even the estate of a deceased planner who executed a will goes through the process known as probate.A key focus of probate is the one entertained by the creditors of an individual who has passed away. A recent national article on the process notes that creditors avail...

“Standard and uncontested.”That is one online article’s assessment of how probate in California and elsewhere generally works. That overview’s take on probate stresses that the process for finally settling a decedent’s estate in court is...

We've all heard adages like this before: You wouldn't hire a plumber to perform surgery, so why would you … ?For purposes of today's blog post, we would simply pose this query: Why would a planner name a lay person with little or no professional experience as...

It's a safe bet that the three former wives of famed -- and now deceased -- song writer/guitarist Jerry Garcia do not hang out together listening to Grateful Dead albums.Ditto that regarding former girlfriends and children from Garcia's various relationships. Here's...

If you were asked to be the executor (often called personal representative) of a loved one's estate, that obviously means that trust was imposed in you regarding a very important matter.You were likely honored by the appointment, and accepted. Many people do. And now...

When a loved one passes away, you'll have many thoughts going through your mind. At some point, you must turn your attention to this person's estate plan.Did they have a will or a trust? With a will, there is no way around the probate process. Instead, this will move...

Now that your children are adults, you might expect that they would be able to handle dividing up your things and taking care of your final arrangements without a lot of conflict. This might not be the case, even if your adult children get along. Money and assets are...

A commentator in a news article from earlier this week discussing the convoluted estate of pop legend Prince -- it's probably unobjectionable to anyone to simply call the Purple One's estate a mess -- notes that there are essentially three entities involved in many...