Casebolt Law Firm

When it comes to planning your estate, there will probably be many different questions which will come up. Planning your estate is important because if you pass away without a valid will or trust in place, the court may be responsible for deciding how to divide your estate. Planning ahead can help prevent your estate from going into Probate which is expensive and stressful.

If you become incapacitated, you won't be able to manage your own financial affairs. Many are under the impression that a spouse or adult children can automatically take over for them if they become incapacitated. The truth is that in order for others to be able to manage your finances, they must petition a court to declare you legally incompetent.

If you leave your estate to your loved ones using a will, everything you own will pass through probate. The process is expensive, time-consuming and open to the public. The probate court is in control of the process until the estate has been settled and distributed.

During this process, it is not unusual for the probate courts to freeze assets for weeks or even months while trying to determine the proper disposition of the estate, making it difficult for your family to pay for your most basic expenses.If you are married and have children, you want to make certain that your surviving family has immediate access to cash to pay for living expenses while your estate is being settled.

Starting a business is no easy task and a greater number of businesses fail rather than succeed. Often times, the failure of a business is the result of uncontrollable economic forces. However, a lack of experience and knowledge frequently contribute to a business' failure.

In order to have the best chance of success in running a business, you will likely need professional advice and guidance from attorneys, accountants, marketing consultants, insurance agents, and financial advisors.

Guardianship is a process designed to protect and assist people who are physically or mentally incapacitated due to age, illness or mental decline. The basic types of guardianships are guardianship of a minor and guardianship of an adult, and guardianship may be of the person, property, or both.

A guardian, who is appointed by the Court, makes decisions on behalf of, and cares for, the ward (incapacitated person or minor) always with the ward's best interests in mind.These decisions may be regarding financial matters or medical and personal care, among other things. Guardianship proceedings are not always necessary and can be avoided in certain instances.