The death of music legend Prince has highlighted the problems created when a person dies without a will. What some media sources in Colorado and elsewhere are failing to recognize is that it is also imperative to have estate-planning documents (powers of attorney and...
Many Colorado families have aging family members, adult children who have a disability or a spouse with a disability. Individuals want to ensure that their loved ones are cared for after their deaths, but they also want to be sure that these special needs family...
No one can predict when a serious illness or injury will strike. A neighbor had a heart attack at 40 - she was fortunate to recognize the symptoms and get help. Another neighbor who just celebrated his 80th birthday is still recovering from a debilitating stroke. Look...
In the last couple of months, we have touched on a lot of topics pertaining to trusts. Today, we want to talk about one specific type of trust that can benefit many families: a special needs trust, or supplemental needs trust. If your child has a disability, planning...
In its simplest form, estate planning is all about your family. The plan is to draw up conclusive and definitive rules that dictate how all of the assets you have accumulated over your life will be passed on to your family members and loved ones. It's so simple! But,...
If you have a trust involved with your estate plan, it is likely that you have utilized a revocable trust. When you create a revocable trust when you are alive, it is called a "living trust." This type of trust is a tremendous tool that can help protect your estate...
Many people will eventually need a guardian as they get older. These people, called wards, are appointed (or appoint) a guardian to take care of them and make decisions for them. Though the titles involved here make it sound like some science fiction or fantasy movie,...
Probate is an integral process to estate administration. Simply put, probate is the process of which a person's property is distributed to the appropriate parties. Probate takes some time because the wishes of the deceased person are usually outlined in a will, and...
This post was inspired by a recent memorial service. The young father was a wild land firefighter - a dangerous profession. You might assume he died in a fire, but that was not the case. A fatal car crash took his life. He left behind a wife and young daughter. Life...
Estate planning isn't all about wills and trusts. There are two other critical pieces to the estate planning formula that every person should consider and incorporate in their plan: durable power of attorney and an advance health care directive.Durable power of...
