How to remove a spouse's name after death

Christopher W. Yugo Times Columnist

Q: My dad died several years ago. At the time, my mother didn't do anything to remove my father's name from anything. His name is still on the house, the car and several bank accounts. Mom is getting up there in age, and I think we should tak…

ESTATE PLANNING: When a child is born after will is executed

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: What happens if a child is born after executing a will? Is the new child included?

ESTATE PLANNING: Do I still need the trust?

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: I set up a trust about 10 years ago. Since then, I have spent down my estate and am unsure whether I should keep the trust for the limited assets I have remaining. My question is should I keep my trust and if so, why? How do I revoke it? C…

ESTATE PLANNING: Simple versus complex trusts

Christopher W. Yugo Estate Planning

Q: What is the difference between a revocable trust and a simple trust? How do you know what type of trust you have?

ESTATE PLANNING: Do non-married couples need to plan?

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: My partner and I have been living together for almost 10 years. Is there anything special that we need to add to our wills?

ESTATE PLANNING: Wills usually provide for death of beneficiary

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: What happens if a person named in a will dies before the person making the will does? How is it determined who gets his or her share?

ESTATE PLANNING: It's OK to be charitable

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: I intend to leave all of my money to two charities but I'm concerned that my children will object. I'm worried they will challenge the will. Is there anything I can do to make sure that my wishes are carried out? Should I name someone othe…

ESTATE PLANNING: Which claim period applies?

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: In researching claims, it appears that there are two statutes of limitations that could apply. One is three months and the other is nine months. How do you know which statute of limitations applies?

ESTATE PLANNING: Splitting up the authority

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: Can I use a power of attorney to appoint different children to do different things? Does my daughter, who is on my checking account, also have authority over my IRA or can I name another child to take care of that? What about medical decisions?

ESTATE PLANNING: Planning around a child's spouse

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: We have three children all of whom are married. One of our son's wives is nice, but we aren't sure that we trust her. How do we make sure she stays out of our estate plan? Is there anything we can do to make sure she doesn't inherit our property?

ESTATE PLANNING: Estate planning for digital assets, part two

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Last week I wrote about the importance of planning for your digital assets. If you read last week's column, you know that I feel this area of estate planning is going to become more and more important in the future. As we expand our online id…

ESTATE PLANNING: Estate planning for digital assets

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

I recently received an email from a reader regarding estate planning in a digital age. The reader had seen a news program on planning for digital assets and thought that it was something that I might be interested in. He was right.

ESTATE PLANNING: Adding a beneficiary to a car title

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Time to catch up on some of the questions that readers have sent in.

ESTATE PLANNING: Who will serve as personal representative?

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: I don't have any family members that live close by. How can I find someone to serve as executor? Can the attorney act as executor?

ESTATE PLAN: Plan for a fight

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: What is the best way to keep my family from fighting over my will? Should I put something to my will that disinherits any family member who causes problems? Should I just leave everything to one person and let him distribute everything?

ESTATE PLANNING: Planning for stepchildren

Christopher W. Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: I have a will that leaves everything to my husband and then to my children. Are my two stepchildren included in the will or do I need to amend it? Will it make a difference if I adopt my stepchildren?

ESTATE PLANNING:Plan for your spouse

Christopher Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: My wife and I have two children. I want to leave everything to her and, if I outlive her, I want everything to be divided equally between my children. Do I really need a will if I want everything to go to my wife and then my kids? Won't th…

ESTATE PLANNING: Checking on the status of an estate

Christopher Yugo Times Business Columnist

Q: We recently lost a family member but we haven’t heard anything about an estate yet. We think we know who the attorney is. Is there any kind of a public search we can use to see if an estate is opened? When is the reading of the will determined?

ESTATE PLANNING: Feeling comfortable with your adviser

Christopher Yugo Times Business Columnist

For almost 12 years, I’ve been writing about basic estate planning.

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