Settling an estate — especially an estate with a trust — can be lengthy, emotional, and complicated. Trusts and wills serve different functions and are handled differently after a person’s death. If an estate has both a will and a trust and you are both the executor of the will and the trustee (the person in charge of the trust), you will have additional responsibilities. The trustee must be...

Put your Covid-19 time at home to good use (and make your relatives happy) by pulling together these 5 groups of documents: Identity Documents Birth certificate, social security card, passport, marriage license, driver’s license, other types of licenses, divorce decree, Final Judgment for Name Change, Adoption Decree, Veteran file (DD214, DD215, Report of Separation, Awards and declarations, security clearance), professional ID cards, proof of graduation or GED. Insurance Documents Insurance documents include: life...

With all the different kinds of trusts available, as well as the specific ways they differ from state to state, it can be hard to figure out exactly what a marital trust is, much less whether or not you and your spouse need one. What is a martial trust? Let’s start with the basics. A trust is a legal arrangement that allows a third party to hold valuable assets — like...