Articles Posted in Law

A revocable living trust — also known as an inter-vivos trust — is a useful estate planning mechanism for many reasons. Living trusts can be used to help assets avoid probate, protecting your family’s privacy while helping them to avoid court fees and oversight. Living trusts also afford you a significant level of control, even…

In a previous post for this site, we explored a bit of the history and context surrounding Michigan’s Estates and Protected individuals Code (EPIC). In this followup, our goal is to dive more into the definition of “protected individual” as it applies in probate court proceedings — and offer some broad overviews of important concepts…

Today, most of us use computers, phones, and tablets to send messages, check in with friends, carry out important financial transactions, watch TV and listen to music, and even to conduct business. Case in point? Odds are very good that you’re reading this post on a smartphone, tablet, or computer screen right now!  The more…

In a previous article for this site, we wrote about the importance of taking care to thoughtfully organize, store, and safeguard your estate planning documents when you have the chance. This includes coming up with a plan to keep your will, trust, powers of attorney, and burial documents safe from displacement, damage, or theft —…

A trustee has many important responsibilities and duties, including managing, controlling, and distributing trust property, while keeping beneficiaries and other relevant parties informed about the administration of the trust.  A trustee is a fiduciary, meaning that they are held to a very high standard for conduct. In executing his or her duties, a trustee is…

When someone passes away, their assets must be collected and distributed and their estate must be guided through Michigan’s probate courts. The personal representative is the person tasked with this important responsibility, which typically includes: As they discharge their duties, a personal representative is held to a very high standard of conduct. They are expected…

Over the course of a lifetime, we acquire assets. When we pass on, those assets remain and they will be reallocated. The question is — will you have a say in the matter? Estate planning is a process that gives you a say, and there are many important tools and mechanisms to consider with your…

When you pass away, what will happen to the assets you’ve spent a lifetime acquiring? Developing an estate plan is a process that keeps you in control if you become incapacitated, and even when you’re gone. For some people, this may mean taking action to deliberately exclude or disinherit certain individuals from their wills or…

You may be familiar with the concept of “Do It Yourself,” or “DIY.” In short, this ethos is all about tackling important projects on your own, without having to involve professionals. Most people associate DIY with homeowners researching solutions, buying their own tools, and getting to work making fixes and repairs around the house. Other…

Losing a loved one is always difficult and emotionally trying. The loss of a family member can take on a new dimension when the decedent was the head of the household, or one of the primary income earners in the family. In Michigan, there are a number of rights belonging to the surviving spouse and…