The best made plans are useless if nobody can find them. Quite often people are surprised that we give them their plan in a notebook and it is quite full. Here are a few suggestions for storing your plan: Rent a drawer at the bank. Make sure the important people in your plan have access […]
What does estate planning have in common with a storm? (Video) Here is what estate planning has in common with a storm. Its all about how much time you get to prepare for the mess. Take a snowstorm for instance. The weather person starts predicting it a week out. Then as it gets closer, the […]
Joe thought he had plenty of time to plan. But one night he swerved to miss a car in his lane and left the road. Now his family faces probate. Gary was a 40-year-old fairly health guy. Never thought about planning. However, one day on his way to work his chest started hurting and his […]
My daughter was off at working at a summer camp and trying to get enrolled at the university. The university kept sending paperwork for her to sign. Because she had signed a power of attorney, we were able to sign for her and keep the process moving along. In our last episode, we talked about […]
Mark failed to plan and it cost his family time, money, and anguish during his decline and after he was gone. He didn’t realize that his wife didn’t have the power to make decisions for him without going to court and that she didn’t just automatically get it all. A short summary of the definitions […]
Jane did what many parents do, she put her son on the deed to her house to avoid probate. But when her son was in a car accident that was his fault, she learned just how big of a mistake that was. His insurance didn’t come close to covering the cost to the other driver. […]
Marge didn’t have much. Her home and that was about it. Marge had to go into the nursing home. However, she had never gotten around to preparing a power of attorney. Her family had to go through the courts and get a guardianship to be able to make financial and healthcare decisions. Then, when it […]
Mark and Mary worked hard for what they had. They had a house, cars, retirement, and lived comfortably. Neither one of them ever stopped to think they had an estate. To them an estate was a big fancy house with manicured lawns and gardens. Don’t think you have an estate because you don’t own a […]
Do you think “estate planning” is just about creating an inheritance plan? So, what exactly is “estate planning” if it isn’t all about leaving an inheritance? Hi, I’m Gary and I own DeWitt law firm where we do great estate planning. Your plan starts with a no obligation consultation. Get your no obligation consultation by […]
It was hard enough to grieve for Jim, but Jim’s family was facing the ordeal of probate with its maze of laws and court. That short story sums up what happens to many people. They put off planning until they retire, an incident occurs, or they get frail. Planning is often an afterthought. Many people […]
