How to Prevent Heir-to-Heir Combat

Legal Information is not the same as legal advice

The average time for probate in the U.S. is 18 months. The breakdown for probate costs is around 70% for attorney fees and 30% for court costs. You can readily see the real issue may be more about avoiding attorneys at death than the actual probate process. Just a thought!

There are multiple types of Trusts: Special Needs Trusts for disabled heirs, Life Insurance Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts or Miller Trusts. These trusts address issues other than avoiding probate and keeping your affairs private.

Wills vs. Trust

Regardless of the document you choose, make sure you have the additional financial and healthcare powers to finish out your legal document portfolio. Doing so can give you great peace of mind! (Note: The information in this chapter is not meant to render legal advice or to operate as a substitute for legal counsel.)

Do most people need legal advice when putting together their documents? Yes, most do. A qualified attorney will be able to walk you through all the documents and potential pitfalls to avoid “heir-to-heir” combat. Plus, if you decide a Revocable Living Trust is the best document for you and you are over the age of 65, you will need to make sure your property deed is properly drawn up so you do not lose your over-65 exemption on school or property taxes.

For the “Do-It-Yourselfer”

Here are a couple of web sites that will help you with legal documents should you want to have a more hands on approach to addressing the cost for legal documents: Nolo.com and LegalZoom.com

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Beware of Bogus Designations

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