| Choosing a Healthcare Power of Attorney |
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| Like a durable power of attorney for financial decisions, a healthcare power of attorney permits you to name a medical proxy to make healthcare decisions on your behalf when you are no longer able to do so for yourself. Similar to a living will, a healthcare power of attorney can specify what kinds of measures you want taken. You should be aware that states have different names for the same healthcare power of attorney, including medical directive, directive to physicians, declaration regarding health care, designation of health care surrogate, and patient advocate designation. More... |
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| Inheritance Without Planning Means No Changing the Default Plan |
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| When a person dies intestate (without making and leaving a will), each state provides a default plan (usually known as the statute of descent and distribution) under with his or her net estate is disposed. When a person dies intestate, there is no changing the default plan. The default plan's sequences for determining who inherits and how much can not be changed. This article discusses the disadvantages of descent and distribution related to that inability to change who inherits and how much. More... |
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| Gift Requirements |
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| This article discusses the legal requirements for an ordinary gift: donor competence, donor intent, donor delivery, donee acceptance, and appropriate documentation, if necessary. More... |
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| Executors -- Settling the Assets |
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| As executor, your first step in settling the decedent's estate is to find all of the decedent's assets. You must then figure out which assets belonged solely to the decedent so that you can protect them until they can be distributed either according to the decedent's will or state intestacy laws. Finding such assets can be a challenge. More... |
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| Beneficiaries -- Issues in Choosing Professional Advisers |
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| A beneficiary should ask himself whether he wants to (or can) tend to the estate himself or whether he would rather delegate the responsibility to someone else. The larger the inheritance, the more likely a beneficiary will need professional advice. A six-figure inheritance or greater will probably change many things in a beneficiary's life and he will need good advice for these changes. More... |
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