In Pennsylvania, you can disinherit your children, but you can’t disinherit your spouse. In fact, in all but one of the fifty states, you cannot disinherit a spouse. In Georgia it is permitted. If you leave a will that makes little or no provision for your surviving spouse, or if you have arranged title of… Read More
Where do you keep your original will? Some folks keep their wills in a “fireproof” box in their desk, or under their bed. At your peril, I say. The metal box may not burn but it makes a fine little oven. Some folks let the lawyer who wrote the will hold it in “safekeeping” for… Read More
“Probate” is much maligned. To hear some folks talk, having your estate subject to probate is worse than dying. What is all the fuss about? Probate is a title proceeding. If a person dies owning property, the question arises “Who is the next rightful owner?”. Probate is the procedure by which the ownership is determined.… Read More
More to the point – do you have more than one IRA at Vanguard? About a year ago, in July 2007, Vanguard Group sent 170,000 customers a form letter titled “Change in beneficiary policy will help you simplify your planning.” What it really meant, as reported by Ashlea Ebeling writing for Forbes, is: “Warning! Unless… Read More