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How Do You Fund a Trust?
If you’re learning about estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, and other such terms have probably come up in your research. You may have read about how some people choose to add a ...
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How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
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Estate Planning for Singles
I have written many articles over the years offering advice on estate planning, many of which were seemingly directed toward married individuals, though that was not the intention. Estate planning is ...
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How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
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Divorcing? Update That Estate Plan
Divorce is stressful, especially when it’s a complicated divorce or minor children are involved. When spouses file for divorce, their minds are on child custody, asset and debt division, and ...
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Do Stepchildren Have Inheritance Rights?
Since divorce has become more socially acceptable in the United States over the past 40 years, we have seen an explosion in blended families. Surely, you know plenty of people who are divorced and ...
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Defining 'Breach of Fiduciary Duty'
When it comes to wills, trusts, and probate, fiduciaries include executors or “personal representatives” and trustees. A fiduciary is someone who acts on behalf of another, and they are in ...
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What to Expect in a 'Move-In-Ready' House
If you’re buying a home for the first time, you are on what can be described as a “journey,” at least in the beginning. A lot of first-time homebuyers are on a journey of discovery. ...
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Common Challenges with Home Buying
Buying a home, especially for the first time can be an exciting experience. Finally, you won’t have a landlord to answer to, you can let your dogs run free in the house without worrying about ...
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Why Winter May Be the Best Time to Buy a Fixer-Upper
Do you have your heart set on buying a fixer-upper in the not too distant future? If so, you may want to pull the trigger during the wintertime! In reality, few people buy homes during the winter. ...
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Creating an Estate Plan When You're Elderly or Ill
Not everyone runs to an estate planning attorney’s office to draw up their estate planning documents, but everyone should. The problem is it can be hard for some people to think about dying or ...
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Conservatorship in Tennessee
If you have a loved one who is unable to properly care for themselves and make important financial decisions due to advanced age or a disability, it may have come to the point where your loved one ...
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Should You Consider Conservatorship?
The need for a conservatorship arises in a variety of settings. An adult may have been born with an intellectual disability, they may have suffered serious brain damage in a car wreck, they may be ...
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Creating an Estate Plan When You're Elderly or Ill
Not everyone runs to an estate planning attorney’s office to draw up their estate planning documents, but everyone should. The problem is it can be hard for some people to think about dying or ...
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What is a Deathbed Will?
When someone is facing imminent death, he or she may decide to draft a will, or tear up their old will and sign a new one – this is often referred to as a “deathbed will.” ...
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We Divorced: Am I a Surviving Spouse?
If you were married and you eventually divorced your spouse and now he or she has passed away, you may be wondering if you are technically the “surviving spouse” under Tennessee law. If ...
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Disinheriting a Spouse in Nashville, TN
It is not uncommon for people to want to understand their spouse’s inheritance rights under Tennessee law, especially when couples are in a second marriage or when they’re recently ...
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What is a Deathbed Will?
When someone is facing imminent death, he or she may decide to draft a will, or tear up their old will and sign a new one – this is often referred to as a “deathbed will.” ...
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Do I Need a Probate Attorney?
When a loved one passes away, the decedent’s financial affairs will need to be fully addressed and resolved, whether the decedent left behind a will or not. This process includes paying off the ...
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I Think I Have a Will Contest
As an estate planning and probate attorney, I periodically get calls from people who want to contest the validity of a will. In response, I explain under which circumstances a will can be challenged. ...
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How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
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Why Your Sweetheart Will May Not Be Enough
At my firm, I meet with a lot of couples who drafted a Last Will & Testament when they were younger. Those wills may have been completely appropriate at the time they were executed, but now ...
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Estate Planning for Singles
I have written many articles over the years offering advice on estate planning, many of which were seemingly directed toward married individuals, though that was not the intention. Estate planning is ...
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Does Tennessee Have an Inheritance Tax?
If your loved on recently passed away and you are a beneficiary to their estate, you probably have a lot of questions. How long is probate ? Will any of the decedent’s assets pass outside of ...
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Does Tennessee Have an Estate Tax?
If you are preparing to create an estate plan, or if you are an executor of a Tennessee estate, you will be interested in knowing whether Tennessee has an estate or death tax. Tennessee used to impose ...
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Tennessee Inheritance & Estate Taxes
Does Tennessee have death taxes? Yes, it has two types: an inheritance tax and an estate tax. The Tennessee inheritance tax is a tax on the privilege of receiving property transferred upon a ...
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Common Challenges with Home Buying
Buying a home, especially for the first time can be an exciting experience. Finally, you won’t have a landlord to answer to, you can let your dogs run free in the house without worrying about ...
-
How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
-
What is a Deathbed Will?
When someone is facing imminent death, he or she may decide to draft a will, or tear up their old will and sign a new one – this is often referred to as a “deathbed will.” ...
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Are Inherited IRAs Shielded from Creditors?
In June 2014, the Supreme Court reached a landmark decision in Clark v. Rameker. In the case, the Supreme Court ruled that inherited IRAs do not count as protected retirement funds. In effect, ...
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Are Inherited IRAs Shielded from Creditors?
In June 2014, the Supreme Court reached a landmark decision in Clark v. Rameker. In the case, the Supreme Court ruled that inherited IRAs do not count as protected retirement funds. In effect, ...
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Which Assets are Subject to Probate?
Some people view probate as a complicated and detailed process as far as time is concerned, but it’s often necessary in order for certain assets to be distributed to a decedent’s heirs. ...
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Insolvent vs. Solvent Estates
If your loved one has recently passed away, one of the first tasks will be to determine whether he or she left behind a solvent or an insolvent estate. What is the difference between these two types ...
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How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
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Intestate Succession in Tennessee
When someone dies without a will, the state’s “ intestate succession ” laws go into effect, thereby distributing a decedent’s assets according to state law. But what is ...
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Estate Planning for Singles
I have written many articles over the years offering advice on estate planning, many of which were seemingly directed toward married individuals, though that was not the intention. Estate planning is ...
-
We Divorced: Am I a Surviving Spouse?
If you were married and you eventually divorced your spouse and now he or she has passed away, you may be wondering if you are technically the “surviving spouse” under Tennessee law. If ...
-
How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
-
Intestate Succession in Tennessee
When someone dies without a will, the state’s “ intestate succession ” laws go into effect, thereby distributing a decedent’s assets according to state law. But what is ...
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When Can a Renter Break a Lease in Tennessee?
Although you may have signed a lease for an apartment or rental unit for a specified amount of time, circumstances may arise where you want to get out of your agreement so you can find a better place ...
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What Are My Responsibilities as a Renter?
Renting is quite different than home ownership because renters are not usually responsible for home repairs. For example, if a roof is leaking, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to repair ...
-
Estate Planning for Singles
I have written many articles over the years offering advice on estate planning, many of which were seemingly directed toward married individuals, though that was not the intention. Estate planning is ...
-
Creating an Estate Plan When You're Elderly or Ill
Not everyone runs to an estate planning attorney’s office to draw up their estate planning documents, but everyone should. The problem is it can be hard for some people to think about dying or ...
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Avoiding Probate with a Revocable Living Trust
Even if you’re only slightly familiar with “ estate planning,” you’ve almost certainly heard about wills and revocable living trusts. You may not however, understand the ...
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How Do You Fund a Trust?
If you’re learning about estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, and other such terms have probably come up in your research. You may have read about how some people choose to add a ...
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Why Probate Litigation?
When a will is probated, the probate court validates the will and appoints an executor or personal representative to administer the decedent’s estate. From there, the probate court oversees the ...
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When is Probate Necessary?
If you’re not familiar with probate, it is a court-supervised process that may be legally required after someone passes away, especially when the person has assets. Once a probate case is ...
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Why Probate Litigation?
When a will is probated, the probate court validates the will and appoints an executor or personal representative to administer the decedent’s estate. From there, the probate court oversees the ...
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Admitting a Will to Probate
In Tennessee, if you are at least eighteen and of sound mind, you can create a will as long as you create the will in accordance with state law. In order for a will to be authenticated, it must be ...
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Why Would I Want a Living Trust?
Over the years, I’ve heard quite a few people say, “I already have a will. Why would I need a living trust ?” If you were wondering the same thing, believe it or not, a will may not ...
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When Can a Renter Break a Lease in Tennessee?
Although you may have signed a lease for an apartment or rental unit for a specified amount of time, circumstances may arise where you want to get out of your agreement so you can find a better place ...
-
What to Expect in a 'Move-In-Ready' House
If you’re buying a home for the first time, you are on what can be described as a “journey,” at least in the beginning. A lot of first-time homebuyers are on a journey of discovery. ...
-
Common Challenges with Home Buying
Buying a home, especially for the first time can be an exciting experience. Finally, you won’t have a landlord to answer to, you can let your dogs run free in the house without worrying about ...
-
Common Challenges with Home Buying
Buying a home, especially for the first time can be an exciting experience. Finally, you won’t have a landlord to answer to, you can let your dogs run free in the house without worrying about ...
-
What Are My Responsibilities as a Renter?
Renting is quite different than home ownership because renters are not usually responsible for home repairs. For example, if a roof is leaking, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to repair ...
-
How Do You Fund a Trust?
If you’re learning about estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, and other such terms have probably come up in your research. You may have read about how some people choose to add a ...
-
Creating an Estate Plan When You're Elderly or Ill
Not everyone runs to an estate planning attorney’s office to draw up their estate planning documents, but everyone should. The problem is it can be hard for some people to think about dying or ...
-
Avoiding Probate with a Revocable Living Trust
Even if you’re only slightly familiar with “ estate planning,” you’ve almost certainly heard about wills and revocable living trusts. You may not however, understand the ...
-
Do Stepchildren Have Inheritance Rights?
Since divorce has become more socially acceptable in the United States over the past 40 years, we have seen an explosion in blended families. Surely, you know plenty of people who are divorced and ...
-
FAQs About Probate in Nashville
When clients come to my firm, a lot of times it’s their first experience with probate. They don’t know much about it and sometimes, they don’t know anything at all. If your loved one ...
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Overview of the 'Intestate' Estate
When someone passes away in Tennessee, soon his or her loved ones will need to determine if the decedent died “testate” or “intestate,” that is if they don’t know ...
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How Do You Fund a Trust?
If you’re learning about estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, and other such terms have probably come up in your research. You may have read about how some people choose to add a ...
-
Why Probate Litigation?
When a will is probated, the probate court validates the will and appoints an executor or personal representative to administer the decedent’s estate. From there, the probate court oversees the ...
-
How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...
-
Why Probate Litigation?
When a will is probated, the probate court validates the will and appoints an executor or personal representative to administer the decedent’s estate. From there, the probate court oversees the ...
-
What is a Deathbed Will?
When someone is facing imminent death, he or she may decide to draft a will, or tear up their old will and sign a new one – this is often referred to as a “deathbed will.” ...
-
I Think I Have a Will Contest
As an estate planning and probate attorney, I periodically get calls from people who want to contest the validity of a will. In response, I explain under which circumstances a will can be challenged. ...
-
How Do You Fund a Trust?
If you’re learning about estate planning, wills, trusts, powers of attorneys, and other such terms have probably come up in your research. You may have read about how some people choose to add a ...
-
Why Probate Litigation?
When a will is probated, the probate court validates the will and appoints an executor or personal representative to administer the decedent’s estate. From there, the probate court oversees the ...
-
How Do I Make Sure My Stepchild Has Inheritance Rights?
In the United States, about 50 percent of all first marriages end in divorce, so not surprisingly, second marriages and blended families have become the norm. But does that mean that stepchildren ...