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FALSE FACTS FRIDAY, VOL. 2, ISSUE 5 “WHEN MY LOVED ONE DIES, I CAN USE THE POWER OF ATTORNEY THEY GAVE ME TO PAY THEIR FINAL EXPENSES.” BY: JOAN REED WILSON, ESQ. Most of you are probably sick of hearing me tell you how important having a power of attorney is for anyone aged 18…
By: Joan Reed Wilson, Esq. Yesterday was the 12th annual National Healthcare Decisions Day. I was scheduled to speak on a panel hosted by VNA Community Healthcare & Hospice with other professionals to discuss the importance of Advance Healthcare Directives. That event was obviously canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but given this current healthcare…
Not All Powers of Attorney Are Created Equal
Last month I discussed how clients are often unpleasantly surprised to learn that having a Last Will and Testament does not negate the need for probate. Many people also incorrectly believe that the Will is KING. They think that the terms of the Will cover the distribution of ALL of their assets. This is not…
Clients are often unpleasantly surprised to learn that having a Last Will and Testament does not negate the need for probate. And they are sometimes annoyed when they learn that even though they are named as the Executor in a Will, that alone does not give them authority to access the decedent’s assets. Yet both of these statements are true.
With Thanksgiving around the corner and the end of the year fast approaching, many of you may be thinking about making gifts to your children and grandchildren. Who has heard that you can give away $10,000 every year to every one in your family without penalty? In my practice, I hear that A LOT. Is it true? I’m afraid not.
By: Joan Reed Wilson, Esq. The last part of the Connecticut Advance Healthcare Directive form includes a section that begins “I hereby make this anatomical gift…” The section includes several boxes to check to make a choice about which organs the person wants to donate and for what reasons. One of the boxes references another…
“I Have to Use the Lawyer Who Drafted My Parent’s Will to Probate the Estate.” By: Joan Reed Wilson, Esq. In the past week, we have received calls from two different clients whom we had helped in the past. Each of them called because they were in the process of probating their parents estates and…
Most people want to avoid “probate.” Sometimes when a couple hears that if they own all of their assets jointly they will avoid probate, they understand that to mean nothing has to be done when their spouse passes away. This is not true. In Connecticut, when someone passes away, it is necessary to file an…