The value of your belongings, how much effort you invested in estate planning and your family relationships will all influence how stressful and complex the administration of your estate will become. Testators could have challenges brought against their estates after...
Estate Planning
3 warning signs of undue influence affecting an estate plan
Estate planning is a deeply personal process in which someone must think about their life and their loved ones to make decisions about who will inherit from their estate when they die. Such personal decisions should be a reflection of someone's values and closest...
You’re considering disinheriting an heir. Are there other options?
You're thinking about disinheriting someone. At the same time, you know that this makes it more likely that they're going to challenge your will. They're not going to be happy when they find out that you didn't leave them anything, and they may enter a dispute by...
When should you contest a will in Massachusetts?
If you have lost a loved one and were caught off-guard by changes in their will, you may be wondering if it’s worth trying to contest the will. When a will isn’t what you remember or what you were told it would be, it makes sense to have questions and to investigate...
Is the estate’s executor acting in your best interests?
An executor is a person charged with overseeing the passage of an estate to the beneficiaries. If your loved one left a will, they likely appointed an executor who was someone they trusted enough to carry out their last wishes. However, soon after taking over the...
What do you risk if you try to challenge someone’s will?
When someone that you are close to dies, you may inherit property from their estate. Parents and grandparents are among those who frequently provide an inheritance to their descendants. You may have certain expectations regarding your inheritance when a family member...
Were you left out of a will?
Following the death of your loved one, it can be a shock to your system to find out that you were excluded from their will. The most important thing, in that situation, is keeping your cool and making informed decisions about what to do next. It may or may not be...
3 warning signs of fraud in someone’s estate plan
Will contests are expensive and can cause a disruption to the family involved. Probate laws limit the circumstances in which a family member or beneficiary can contest someone's last wishes. Feeling shocked or dissatisfied with the terms your loved one has in their...
Are you sure your children want to inherit your house?
As you make your estate plan, odds are good that your home is your most valuable asset. For most people, the only thing that would come close is a family business or a life insurance policy -- or, of course, another piece of real estate, such as a second home or a...
3 potential warning signs of fraud affecting a last will
Most people create their last will long before they die. They may even have a collection of documents in a comprehensive estate plan. The people left behind when someone dies can review their last will to learn their wishes. After filing the document with probate...
