Are You Asking the Right Questions about Wills?

Posted on August 22, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Financial experts often say that if you die without a last will and testament, the state will decide who gets your assets. That statement is true if you die owning assets without joint owners and without naming beneficiaries of bank accounts, insurance policies, retirement plans, […]

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Planning with Retirement Plans, Annuities, and Life Insurance

Posted on June 14, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.

Retirement plans, annuities, and life insurance policies are great tools to accumulate and protect wealth for some people. However, all investments require some attention to details regarding beneficiary designations and ownership choices. None of these tools fits everyone and some tools can be inappropriate for some people. A knowledgeable estate planning attorney uses these financial […]

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Planning For Minor Children & Multi-Generational Objectives

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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Joint Bank Accounts & Other Property Transfers To Survivors – Part 1

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] This article is the first part of a two-part series of about joint bank accounts and other kinds of ownership of bank accounts and investments (Click here to read Part 2). We have seen many avoidable cases of error, fraud, and abuse over the years. […]

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Estate and Trust Beneficiary Expectations

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Hollywood must love the will opening “ceremony” because it has recycled the familiar scene repeatedly on the silver screen (Mommy Dearest,  Brewster’s Millions, The Ultimate Gift, etc.). The plot usually either begins or climaxes when a lawyer announces that some unrelated person receives almost all […]

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ABLE Act Passes Congress and Awaits Presidential Signature

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) today. The ABLE Act says that its purpose is to: (1) To encourage and assist individuals and families in saving private funds for the purpose of supporting individuals with disabilities to maintain health, independence, and quality […]

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Estate Planning: Avoiding Confusion

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Many people who think of “probate” or an “estate” think of heirs arguing over a deceased person’s wealth. Thankfully, most estates are not contested and they lack Hollywood-style drama. Estate disputes usually involve unclearly worded wills or inconsistent statements about estate plan intentions from the […]

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