Executor Archives - GP Schoemakers, PLLC

Who Should be Your Successor Trustee?

If you have a revocable living trust, you probably named yourself as trustee so you can continue to manage your own financial affairs, but eventually, someone will need to step in for you when you are no longer able to act due to incapacity or after your death. Your successor trustee plays an important role in the effective execution of your estate plan. The Key Takeaways: Because successor trustees have a lot of responsibility, they should be chosen carefully. Successor trustees can be your adult children, other relatives, a trusted friend, or a corporate or professional trustee. Responsibilities of A [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T17:51:52+00:00August 23rd, 2018|Categories: Design, Estate Planning, Trusts|Tags: Executor, Tax, Trustee|0 Comments

How to Pick a Trustee, Executor, and Agent Under a Power of Attorney

While the term fiduciary is a legal term with a rich history, it very generally means someone who is legally obligated to act in another person’s best interests. Trustees, executors, and agents are all examples of fiduciaries. When you pick trustees, executors, and agents in your estate plan, you’re picking one or more people to make decisions in your and your beneficiaries’ best interests and in accordance with the instructions you leave. Luckily, understanding the basics of what each of these terms means and what to consider when making your choices can make your estate plan work far better. Trustee [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T20:11:55+00:00August 23rd, 2018|Categories: Estate Planning, POA, Trusts|Tags: Estate Plan, Executor, Financial Power of Attorney, Healthcare POA, POA, Tips, Trustee|0 Comments

One Call You Must Make After You Buy a Home (That You’ve Probably Forgotten)

During the home buying process, you worked with a lot of individuals: your realtor, the seller’s realtor, the title company, the loan officer, and the home inspector. Now that you have finalized the purchase of your house, there is one more expert you need to call: your estate planning attorney. Aligning Your Ownership with Existing Estate Planning First, your attorney can help you review the new documents associated with your home purchase in conjunction with your existing estate plan to ensure that everything aligns and works towards your overall estate planning objectives. If your existing estate plans include a trust [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T18:21:51+00:00August 23rd, 2018|Categories: Estate Planning, Home/Property Ownership|Tags: Executor, Guardians, Trust, Trustee|0 Comments

The Biggest Threats to Successful Estate Planning

Poor estate planning is a recipe for disaster. Look no further than Dickens’ Bleak House — or a telenovela — to witness the tragedy and melodrama inadequate estate planning can cause. While having your estate planning documents prepared is the first hurdle to overcoming these types of disasters, there are several threats that lurk around the corner that might derail your wishes. Family Conflict According to a TF Wealth survey of over 100 estate planning professionals, family conflict is the number one risk to a peaceful inheritance. If children are treated differently under the estate plan, there is often an [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T18:22:14+00:00August 23rd, 2018|Categories: Estate Planning, wwPROBATE|Tags: Executor, Guardian, Inheritance, Mistakes, Representative, Taxes, Tips|0 Comments

Four Steps to Stop Mail Addressed to a Deceased Person

One of the first things you should do as a newly appointed executor of a deceased person’s probate estate or successor trustee of a deceased trustmaker’s trust is to ask the post office to forward the deceased person’s mail to your address. Unfortunately, along with important pieces of mail – statements, bills, and refunds – many not-so-important pieces – catalogs, solicitations, and plain old junk mail – will end up in your mailbox. On the other hand, you may have purchased a home from a deceased person’s estate or trust and have received some of their mail at your new [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T19:43:57+00:00May 21st, 2015|Categories: Estate Planning|Tags: Executor, Tips|0 Comments