How to Create an Estate Plan

An estate plan is an important part of organizing your future. Legal forms used in estate planning let you stay in control of your care in the event of incapacitation and establish how your assets will be passed along when you pass on.

1. Find an estate planning attorney. You will need an experienced attorney to help you put together an estate plan. This can be a complicated matter that requires a great deal of legal paperwork.

2. Organize your files and examine your assets. Your attorney will need to see the details of your assets.

 3. Discuss potential issues with your attorney. Do you anticipate a big fight among your children once you're gone? Do you have extensive debts that need to be paid?

 4. Ensure you have a will. You may also want a living will so your wishes for your medical care are followed if you become incapacitated.

 5.File beneficiary forms and make final...

Hello all,

I am attorney Margaret L. Webb of Legacy Legal & Business Services PLC. It is hard to believe that I just began working on my 16th year of practice. One of my main areas of practice is estate planning and I have seen my fair share of Estate Planning Fraud and Trust Mills. When thinking back over my experience, I have compiled some tips that I thought you would find helpful:

1) Do not be pressured into a trust on an in-home sales pitch; Now if you are or your loved one is not able to get out of the house it is certainly appropriate to invite an attorney to your house, but when the attorney or sales agent invites their self to your home then that should be a red flag.

2) The situation is suspect for trust scams if the person is selling annuities as well as trust packages as they are making money on both; Early in my career, I had an elderly woman fall for one of these type scenarios and we had to go to court to have an irrevocable trust revoked. This is no easy feat as...