Updating Homeowner’s Insurance Coverage

Posted on March 28, 2024 by Hawkins Elder Law.

If you haven’t reviewed your insurance coverage lately, you might find yourself out in the cold without enough to replace your home after a fire or storm. This article explains the need for updating homeowner’s insurance coverage and issues you might have overlooked.

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POD AND TOD PITFALLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Hawkins Elder Law.

Did you know that Hoosiers can cause their money and property to pass after death to their family members through pay on death (POD) and transfer on death (TOD) arrangements? This Article explains POD and TOD ownership and the POD and TOD pitfalls and opportunities. POD and TOD Beneficiary Designations Indiana’s Transfer on Death Property […]

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Spendthrift, Special Needs, “Miller” & Other Protective Trusts

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Trusts are tools that estate planning lawyers use to solve or avoid money management and property management problems for clients. Protective trusts protect assets from problems plaguing the trusts’ beneficiaries. Protective trusts are increasingly common as lawyers and clients focus on solving problems that do not necessarily […]

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Avoiding Probate is Easy – But Not Always Wise

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] We have heard people tell us for decades that they want to “avoid probate.” They say it as if they want to avoid cancer. Most people have no idea what it is that they think they should avoid. Fewer people know that the “probate” concept […]

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Getting Married? Get A Prenuptial Agreement First!

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] What comes to mind when you think of a prenuptial agreement? If you are like most people, you probably think about wealthy celebrities protecting their wealth from divorce. You may also think that a person would have to be a greedy, heartless jerk to ask […]

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Signing Documents Is a Big Deal

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Hawkins Elder Law.

Indiana is on the front line of a legal services technological revolution. LegalZoom is pushing a bill to allow electronic signatures of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and other estate planning documents, while the Indiana Secretary of State driving an electronic notarization bill. Indiana State Bar Association members are working to fix serious defects in […]

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Life Insurance Estate Planning Tips

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] People buy and use life insurance for many reasons. Unfortunately, too many people make poor life insurance purchase and use decisions because they do not try to understand their options. Instead, they rely on insurance promoters and amateur advisors to tell them what they need […]

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Spiritual Issues in Final Illness, Death, and Human Remains Disposition

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] In our most recent blog, “Plans for Final Illness, Death, and Human Remains Disposition,” we mentioned issues that affect people’s choices about health care in final illness, death, and disposition of their bodies, including a few brief references to spiritual issues. We are expanding that […]

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Don’t Short-Circuit Your Estate Plan

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] If a person has made a will, a power of attorney, an advance health care directive, or a trust, the person may think that those documents create a dependable estate plan. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that an estate plan includes every kind of […]

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Family Property – When Blessings Become Curses

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Hawkins Elder Law.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] God told the Israelites in the 25th chapter of the biblical book of Leviticus that in every 50th year, a family would regain ownership of land that the family’s ancestors had sold during the past 50 years. The Mosaic Law ensured the blessings of property […]

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