Bank Account Beneficiaries
One of the biggest mistakes people make before they die is to fail to add a proper beneficiary designation on their bank accounts. This most often results in an unnecessary probate. In this short video, Davison, Michigan Estate Planning Attorney Sean O'Bryan explains how to prevent this from happening to you and your family.
Estate Planning: Don’t be Penny Wise, Pound Foolish
Being careful with spending your money is a good thing of course, but there are some things that are just not worth saving a few dollars on. Michigan Attorney Sean O’Bryan explains that estate planning is the one thing it is better not to cut corners on.
Pet Trusts Protect Your 4 Legged Loved Ones
Planning ahead is important when it comes to protecting your pets in case something happens to you. Michigan Estate Planning Attorney Sean O’Bryan shows you how Setting up a pet trust can give you peace of mind.
Covid Estate Planning
Covid-19 gave a lot of people a sudden wake-up call about the fragility of life and made estate an urgent priority overnight. Michigan estate planning attorney Sean O’Bryan walks you through several questions to consider.
Talking to Parents About Estate Planning
Talking to your parents about estate planning can seem impossible. It doesn't have to be. Your parents just need to know you will be there for them. Here is a great framework to that talk.
POD - Payable on Death Accounts
There are some relatively simple ways to get assets into the hands of your loved ones after you pass away. Though these methods can sound ideal on the surface, there will be drawbacks in most instances. With this in mind, we will look at POD accounts in this post.
How Do I Include Rentals in My Estate Plan?
Rental property has become increasingly popular in Michigan over the last decade. How do you best position a real estate rental in your estate plan?
Reverse Mortgage Problems
Reverse mortgages can be a big help to seniors who need extra cash, but they can become a big headache for the person’s family members after they pass away or move to a nursing facility.
Tricky Names for Health Care Directives
The different names of health care documents can create a lot of confusions for client and their families. Let’s look at the 3 types of health care documents.
Health Care Directives: A Quick Tip
An advance medical directive is an extremely important document – but it won’t be of much value if it’s tucked away in a safe deposit box or in a file cabinet where no one can easily find it.
A “Letter of Intent” can help your Successor Trustee
A separate “Letter of Intent” as part of your estate plan is one way to help your successor trustee by spelling out your hopes, dreams, goals, rules, and limits regarding your family.
What Are Your Duties as a Trustee?
The number of people reporting some sort of estate planning has decreased by more than 20 percent in the last few years. So it's no surprise that many people are unfamiliar with the trust process and trustee duties.