| Inheritance Without Planning Means No Person Is In Control |
|
| When a person dies intestate (without making and leaving a will), each state provides a default plan (usually known as the statute of descent and distribution) under which his or her net estate is disposed. Under the default plan, no person is put in control of the disposition. The disposition must go according to the defaul plan. This article discusses the disadvantages of descent and distribution related to that inability to have a person put in control of the disposition. More... |
|
|
| Revoking a Will, Methods |
|
| As a general rule, a will can be changed or cancelled at any time before the testator's death. A will may be revoked (i.e., recalled or cancelled). This article discusses methods for revoking a will. More... |
|
|
| The Body of a Will |
|
| Most of the formalities of a will come at the beginning of the will and at the end of the will. The initial clauses usually announce the intention of the testator to make a will. The closing clauses usually indicate that the will has been signed and witnessed as required. In between the initial clauses and the closing clauses is the body of a will. The body of the will is where the testator directs the disposition of his or her estate. More... |
|
|
| Healthcare Power of Attorney Formalities |
|
| There are a few technical requirements with which you must comply before a healthcare power of attorney will be considered legally valid and binding. More... |
|
|
| Hilton on Charity |
|
| A remarkable statement about the nature of charity entered the public domain after hotel chain founder Conrad N. Hilton died on January 3, 1979, in Santa Monica, California. As the founder and head of Hilton hotels, Mr. Hilton was a very financially-rich man. A portion of his will revealed that he had begun to measure the riches of a man or woman in other ways. In his will, Mr. Hilton bequeathed property to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. He also described the nature of charity as follows. More... |
|
|