Wills

• Checklist - 10 Things to Consider Including in a Will

  10 top issues for your parents to consider before writing their wills, including how to divide their property and who will receive it.

• Article - What to Expect from Your Trusts and Estates Attorney

  How to help your parent find and work with a trusts and estates attorney on wills, revocable trusts, and estate planning.

• Checklist - 5 Legal Documents You Need for Your Parents

  These documents will ensure that you can assist your...

• Article - Probate: What It Is -- and How to Avoid It

  You can't help your parent avoid death or taxes at death. But you can save time and money by helping her plan to have her property avoid probate.

• Article - Estate Planning Basics

  Estate planning manages money and property during life and passes it to survivors after death. Know what the basic estate planning documents can do.

Blog Posts

• Blog Post - My mother is gambling away every last penny -- and her financial independence. What should I do?

  Since my father's death two years ago, my 75-year-old...

• Blog Post - Sandwich Generation "Massively Stressed"

  A new study of sandwich generation women, caring for children and aging parents, finds them ill-prepared for the massive stresses of care giving.

• Blog Post - Link Between Depression and Heart Disease

  ScienceDaily offers a sneak peek at the findings of...

• Blog Post - Kennedy's Cancer Has Everyone Talking About Brain Tumors

  The announcement about Senator Edward Kennedy's brain tumor has the world talking about gliomas.

• Blog Post - Robots and Other High-Tech Solutions Help Seniors Stay at Home

  New high-tech monitoring systems allow seniors to age in place with greater safety and freedom, but also raise privacy concerns.

• Blog Post - My mother has asked not to be resuscitated if she has a medical crisis, but my siblings disagree on what constitutes a medical crisis.

  Before she showed signs of dementia, my mother decided...

• Blog Post - Quick Quiz: Should Your Parents Stay at Home or Move?

  Quiz to help adult children figure out whether aging parents can stay at home or should move to retirement communities.

• Blog Post - Yelling and Nagging: Not the Way to Keep Someone With Diabetes on Track

  Practical advice on how to help your parent or partner with diabetes comply with health recommendations.

• Blog Post - My father seems interested in moving in with me -- and I don't want him to.

  At 81, my dad has Parkinson's, three heart stents,...

• Blog Post - Help! My mom's in hospice and my sister and I are arguing about her funeral.

  Our mom has said she wants to be cremated "so you don...

Questions & Answers

• Question - What is the difference between a will and a trust?

  What's the difference between a will and a trust? One of the main differences between a will and a trust is that a will must go through probate.

• Question - Does a joint will have to go through probate?

  First, get straight on what's joint property and what's a joint will. Then understand that while most wills must be probated, some can go through a simplified procedure.

• Question - Do we need to inform the first attorney that we wrote a new will with another attorney?

  When hiring different attorneys to prepare your estate plan, it can buy you some peace of mind to make doubly sure that your documents don't conflict.

• Question - Is it better to leave my property by will or living trust?

  First evaluate the property you own that may pass to others automatically at your death; then look at the pros and cons of wills and living trusts.

• Question - If I have a living trust, do I also need a will?

  While it requires a little extra thought and paperwork, a simple back-up will may help prevent estate planning slip-ups.

• Question - What will happen to my brother's share of inheritance if he cannot be found?

  If a beneficiary cannot be located when a will is probated, the property will go to back-up takers in a particular order.

• Question - How can we find out if my mother-in-law had a will?

  If a search in the obvious places doesn't turn up a will, try a few less obvious ones.

• Question - When making a minor change in a will, do I need to have it done by a lawyer?

  If a will revision is truly minor, you may be able to accomplish it on your own.

• Question - How to create a non-contestable will?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - In Ontario, what happens if a spouse dies and does not have a will?

  When a person dies without a will, who will get his or her property depends on how the survivors are related -- and sometimes, how many there are.

• Question - Who is meant to receive our brother's inheritance if he can't be found?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - I inherited a house. How do I get the deed transferred to my name?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can my mother give tax free gifts to her grandchildren?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My father has had a stroke and has no will. How do I ensure his things are taken care of?

  A parent who wishes to make a will may be able to do so, even after suffering a stroke.

• Question - How do I find out if I will inherit property?

  It may take a little time and forbearance -- or a brash inquiry -- to find out whether you're slated to get property by trust or will.

• Question - How can we get my stepmother to divide my father's items equally between all of his children?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Does my girlfriend need her dad's permission to receive property left to her in her grandfather's will?

  The law does not favor wills that require beneficiaries to meet specific conditions; but sometimes, the best option may be to comply.

• Question - My grandfather left is land in trust to myself and 3 other...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Can I add a codicil to my own will without a lawyer present?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - Does self-help software produce legal documents?

  Some self-help law products produce perfectly legal documents. The key is to shop wisely -- and you can always use a lawyer as a backup.

• Question - What is my first step in administering my mother's will?

  The first step is usually the hardest: Finding and organizing the property your mothe owned at her death.

• Question - Are online estate planning documents legal?

  When looking for an online product to help product your estate planning documents, shop carefully.

• Question - If all 6 siblings agree on splitting their parent's assets equally, do we still have to go through probate?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - What property do children from my husband's previous marriage take if he dies without a will?

  They say that everything’s big in Texas—and so are the complications that can crop up when a Texas dies without a will.

• Question - How can I get the addresses of the properties belonging to my parents after their passing?

  This question has been answered by a Community Member

• Question - Can a Wisconsin resident disinherit a spouse?

  If a will does not mention a surviving spouse, the law will likely look at the document carefully -- and make some assumptions giving the survivor a share.

• Question - What documentation do we need in order to avoid any potential issues with Medicaid qualification related to giving children an early inhereitance?

  This question has been answered by a Caring.com Expert

• Question - My mother passed away in March 08. She had been married to...

  Unanswered. Can you help?

• Question - How do we protect a home that is being rented from being taken over when the owner dies?

  Proactive legal documents can help ease the passing of rental real estate after death.

• Question - How do I know if I'm entitled to a family member's inheritance?

  The law generally requires that a person must survive to be able to take property from another’s estate.

• Question - What is the specific wording I should use to exclude two children from my will?

  A few unembellished words will make your intention to disinherit your children bulletproof to later legal challenges.

• Question - Do executors have to give out copies of wills?

  Since wills become public records after a person dies, you can see them--but how and where depends on the executor's willingness to show you the document.

• Question - Do you need a power of attorney if your spouse dies without a will?

  Unanswered. Can you help?

Tips & Reflections

• Tip - Where to Check the Form of Property Ownership

  Learn how to determine the form of ownership for your parents' property.

• Tip - Final Arrangements: A Will Is Not the Way

  Why your parents' end-of-life preferences should be discussed in advance, not written into their will.