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The death of a spouse is a traumatic event for a family. Besides the intense grief that the death of a spouse brings, there is also a lot of paperwork and other details to get through. While going through a spouse’s affairs a person may find they had a credit card they didn’t know about. If a deceased person had a credit card in their name their spouse may wonder if they are liable for...

Discussing the future can be easy when you’re making fun vacation plans or are looking forward to a significant milestone such as marriage or the birth of a baby. But when it comes to difficult topics – like what will happen after your parents pass away – those conversations are much harder to begin. However, adults with elderly parents need to have these conversations. Not only for your sake but your parents’ sake as well...

Creating a thoughtful estate plan takes time and effort. Usually working with a knowledgeable and experienced estate law attorney is the best option for avoiding interfamily squabbles and disputes involving a business or assets. Unfortunately, this has now embroiled the estate of musician Tom Petty, whose widow Dana York Petty and daughters Adria Petty and Annakim Violette are fighting it out in probate court. Petty, who died of an accidental drug overdose in October of...

If you are a newly separated person and you and your spouse are preparing to get a divorce, you know that every aspect of your life may feel up in the air right now. It can be overwhelming to be faced with a seemingly unending list of decisions to make, yet you must work through them one by one. Your estate plan may feel like something you can address down the road, but the reality...

One of the advantages of creating a charitable trust is that it allows you to continue to fund worthy causes in perpetuity. However, problems can arise specifically because of the enduring nature of a trust. Due to changes in circumstances over time, it may become impossible, impractical or even illegal to fulfill your stated intentions through your charitable trust. According to National Paralegal College, the court may apply the cy pres doctrine in a situation...

For people who are philanthropically minded and able to make sizeable donations to charitable organizations, combining their donor activities with their estate planning can be wise and beneficial to both their intended charities and to themselves. A charitable remainder trust may provide the right vehicle for people in these situations but understanding how this type of trust works is important. As explained by Fidelity Investments, a charitable remainder trusts allows a person to put assets...

If you are a small business owner or looking to work for one, you may be interested in the subject of noncompete agreements. A noncompete agreement is a clause as a condition of employment that does not take effect until after the employment agreement between employee and employer has concluded. According to Findlaw, sometimes these agreements become the subject of legal disputes depending on what they stipulate. Essentially, a noncompete agreement will put some level...

No matter the size or scope of one’s estate in Haddonfield, the estate planning process can be quite complicated. It is for this very reason that estate planning experts recommend that those involved in it be as transparent as possible. Many experts might also say that this is wise to include would-be beneficiaries in it (as preparing people for what their roles and/or their interest in an estate might be prior to it being administered...

Many people assume they will be named as the executor of a parent’s will, but that may not always happen. Wise adults do not simply identify a person to be a will executor based on familial relations. The job of an executor should be thought of as just that – a job – instead of a ceremonious title bestowed on someone. Understanding what an executor’s responsibilities are is important when determining who to name in...

No longer is it uncommon for a person to get married more than one time in their life. A remarriage may happen after the death of a first spouse or after a first marriage ends via divorce or an annulment. Regardless of how a previously married person finds themselves single again, they deserve the opportunity to move forward positively and create a life with a new spouse. While embracing the joys and opportunities that come...