If you spent a lot of time with a parent or grandparent that has since died, you might know how they wanted to distribute their assets. You also know they left a will detailing these wishes. What if another beneficiary contests the will based on the alleged mental...
People can create a will any time after they become legal adults and generally retain the authority to do so until they lose their testamentary capacity. Often, those who create wills discuss them with family members so that people know what to expect. When someone...
Wills are one of the most straightforward and transparent estate planning tools. They spell out what assets the deceased left and how they wanted them to be distributed. If you see someone getting something you thought you would inherit, you may be able to file a...
You may have read about people contesting their loved ones’ wills after they passed away or about the risk of undue influence changing a person’s will later in life. As a result, you might want to look into anything you can do to prevent those issues in your own...
If you believe your loved one’s will doesn’t reflect their true wishes, you may want to contest it. While this is a legal right that you have, you have to consider whether or not it’s a smart move. For situations where you truly believe the will is not fair or based...
You believe that your loved one’s will cannot possibly reflect their real intentions. You feel very strongly that they were either coerced or bullied into making changes that negatively affect you – and you plan to challenge the will based on another party’s “undue...
Undue influence is one of the many reasons a court can nullify a will. It happens when the person making a will (the testator) is coerced or persuaded to act against their wishes by another. For example, a caregiver may use their position of trust to influence the...
When a family member puts assets in a trust for you, they clearly want you to have those assets in the end. You might therefore assume that once the family member dies, you can get rid of the trustee selected to manage the trust if you do not like them. Yet this is...
When someone passes away and you stand to inherit a portion of their assets, it’s both a sad time in your life and one that is a great gift. The last thing that should happen is for the situation to be tarnished by arguments or disputes. Unfortunately, those issues do...
It may be calming to know that the deceased has put their estate in the hands of a worthy executor. This executor is presumably chosen because they are trusted and respected by the deceased. The role of an executor helps ensure the deceased’s estates are protected and...
