This course is a concise and practical guide to what everyone should know about the law of Wills and Trusts - as well as a range of other matters - before an estate plan is designed. It began as an outline for an “adult ed” class at the local community college, and is based on real questions, concerns and issues encountered over many years, among people at all economic levels, from modest to quite substantial.
Wills and Trusts are just tools in the larger process of "estate planning.” There is an unfortunate, widespread misconception that this is a subject of interest only to the wealthy. In fact, an estate plan provides the legal mechanism for disposing of property upon death in a way that recognizes your wishes and the needs of your survivors, while minimizing taxes. For many it involves, even more importantly, planning for the handling of affairs in case of disability, and the deeply personal medical choices to be made as life nears its end. Estate planning is not just for rich people.
You will find here a breadth of topic coverage far greater than the title implies. In addition to Wills and Trusts, this course addresses many other subjects that are (or should be) involved in the planning process: These include the legal and practical consideration of such matters as the income tax and the Federal Gift and Estate Tax, the disposition of property outside the probate system, life insurance, powers of attorney, advance medical directives (“living wills”), and long term care insurance, among others.
|
|