When individuals are already in a vulnerable emotional state after losing a loved one, the prospect of probate can be overwhelming. Just thinking about the process can make you and your family nervous. Considering the initial probate hearing can make you feel even...
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Year: 2020
News: Spears’ conservatorship under fire
Conservatorships can be a helpful tool when loved ones struggle to make healthy decisions in their own best interests. Even so, people often view conservatorships in a negative light. It is easy for individuals to abuse the power a conservatorship might give them,...
What is a “probate transfer?”
After the loss of a loved one, many people only want time to work through their grief. That is why even thinking about the probate process is a point of stress for many California families. Experiencing this stress often leads people to wonder why the process is even...
Should you have a health historian?
It is an understatement to say that receiving a diagnosis for cancer, heart disease or a chronic condition is frightening. Such a diagnosis could change your entire life – as well as your family’s. As in the case of COVID-19, an illness or condition could also...
To make your wishes known, you must ask hard questions
Planning for the future – especially one’s future care – is important, but it can be a difficult task. You may know how important it is to establish an advance health care directive to ensure you have a say in your medical care, but this will require the courage to...
Who can access your health care information?
There are some things in life that you simply want to keep private. Your health and medical information are likely some of those things. Thankfully, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 ensures that you have the right to keep your...
Pre-planning a funeral can help avoid family disputes
At any point in your life, death is often the last thing you want to think about. Whether it is regarding a loved one’s plan or your own, it is a difficult and emotional subject to discuss. The anxiety that this subject causes is often one of the main reasons...
Does your college student need to consider estate planning?
It can be exciting when your child begins their college career. It is a new chapter in both your lives and a chance for your child to strike out on their own. However, are college students truly prepared? What happens if students fall sick, or face a serious accident?...
Your loved one left behind a pet: What happens now?
Losing a loved one can be overwhelmingly emotional. And if your loved one named you as their personal representative – or the executor of their will – you often also face an additional level of stress on top of your grief as you begin the probate process. Then, as you...
Myth: Probate will use up all of your loved one’s estate
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the term “probate?” For many people, probate invokes a very negative response. This is often due to the many myths about probate. One of the most common myths that lead many people to have such negative views is that...