Posted on June 11, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] The Indiana General Assembly updated several Indiana laws into the digital age during the 2016 legislative session. The legislature updated existing laws in the Indiana Probate Code, guardianship statutes, the Indiana Trust Code, and the Power of Attorney Act to allow trustees, decedent’s personal representatives, […]
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Posted on June 5, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.
Most people think of wills or trusts when they think of estate planning. However, powers of attorney are probably the most important estate planning documents that most people can have. A last will and testament is a good way to direct how people will distribute and receive your assets when you die, but if disability […]
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Posted on May 28, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.
Jesus once took a child into his arms while he was teaching and said, “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” The Bible, Mark 9:42 (NIV). Child […]
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Posted on April 2, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Most people think once in a while about the inheritance that they will leave for others. Some people assume that their wealth will transfer to their family members smoothly and other people believe that they must make detailed plans. To some extent, both ideas are […]
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Posted on January 8, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Young adults have blind spots about life because they were oblivious during their childhood of many decisions that their parents made for them. They never had to worry during childhood about filing income tax returns or whether to have x-rays or stitches because such decisions […]
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Posted on November 16, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] People often forget to keep their important papers in order. Disorganization can rob you of the chance to react quickly in critical or important moments. Disorganization can lead to serious errors after your death or if someone is helping you manage your business during a […]
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Posted on October 24, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.
New clients often ask us to prepare wills and we prepare wills for most of our estate planning clients. We tell clients that wills are important to deal with the business of dying, but death is not usually the biggest issue. A debilitating stroke or other illness can make a power of attorney (often called […]
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Posted on June 21, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Most of us become seriously injured or deathly ill sooner or later and depend upon other people to take care of us. We should all plan for this problem ahead of time so that our caregivers can be well prepared to do the job […]
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Posted on May 17, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Estate planning includes planning with wills and trusts to pass money and possessions from one generation to the next. Too often, an older generation ignores the effect of its plans upon younger generations. That poor foresight allows poorly planned inheritance to vanish quickly, sometimes without […]
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Posted on April 18, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.
[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] This article concludes a two-part series of about joint bank accounts and other kinds of asset co-ownership (click here to read Part 1). Joint Accounts – Name Sequence Some people mistakenly think that it makes a difference whether someone’s name appears first or second on […]
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