In this last post of our series, I’ll discuss some of the standard paragraphs your will should contain. In the last two posts, we’ve discussed the types of wills and the holographic will.
The main purpose of a will is to distribute property to someone or a group of people, or appoint a representative to handle [...]
A blog about legal issues facing Oklahomans
Tag Archive: Wills & Trusts
How to Write Your Own Will – Part 3: Content is King
How to Write Your Own Will – Part 2: Holographic Wills
In our last post, I discussed the various types of wills. In this post, we’ll talk about drafting your own holographic will. We’ll discuss the holographic will, as opposed to a type-written will, because this is the most common, non-attorney drafted type of will. Again, I like to think of these as "death bed" wills, [...]
How to Write Your Own Will – Part 1: The Types of Wills
Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a lot of people come to my office seeking advice regarding wills, or asking to probate a loved one’s estate. The most difficult, and sometimes frustrating thing, is that in some of the cases, these relatives could have saved thousands of dollars, had the deceased properly executed their [...]
Your Most “Trusted” Relationship
This week I dealt with two separate estate planning issues that once again emphasized the importance of having an active estate plan before you’re facing tragic circumstances. I’ve taken several posts to stress the importance of pre-tragedy planning.
The first case dealt with an older gentlemen whose wife had recently deceased. This was a second marriage [...]
End-of-the-Year Essential Estate Planning
We recently discussed how much I love October. Well, we had success with our new year’s offer, so we’re doing it again. Take advantage and get some essential estate planning done for a great value.
We’re offering a basic will and healthcare directive for a discount: $100 per couple or $50 per person. This is available [...]
Probate’s Misconceptions
There’s rarely a time in one week when I have the same question about the same topic. The question is: does a will help me avoid probate?
Generally speaking, no. The only sure way to avoid probate is to create a living trust.
Probate is the procedure states use to administer a deceased person’s affairs. Probate is [...]
Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Without a will, you’re SOL! To put it simply, a will is like having Superman as your deathbed protector. The will is more powerful than anything else, and gives you the ability to decide what you want. Without a will, you’re leaving a lot of decisions to fate.
Oklahoma has specific statutes regarding the distribution of [...]
Importance of Proper Estate Planning 2.0
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has affirmed an issue regarding omitted children, which I discussed here. In Welch v. Crow, 2009 OK 20, the Court again refused to apply the principles of 84 O.S. § 132 to revocable inter vivos trusts.
You should get the picture by now that this is an important issue. Check your estate [...]
Practically Perfect
Two of the blogs I read are Alexis Martin-Neely’s, Family Wealth Planning and The Intrepid Mompreneur blogs. Ms. Neely is a California estate planning attorney who is revolutionizing the thinking of many legal professionals. She is the principal partner of Martin Neely & Associates, and the author of the delightfully useful book, Wear Clean Underwear.
Ms. [...]
Vengence from beyond
The New York Post has this delightful article about a couple who uses their will to impart some final vengeance. The great thing about this article is the wealth of practical information you receive about the legal process.
First, it is truly tragic that more people don’t take an opportunity to create their wills, as a [...]