Estate Planning

Serving as the executor of an estate, while a great honor, comes with significant responsibilities. In order to best fulfill the role to honor the testator’s legacy, you should take certain steps to prepare yourself for such a monumental undertaking. Considering these steps while the testator is living can make the estate administration process go… Read more

Many people set up trusts as part of their estate plan, in addition to wills and powers of attorney. However, when setting up a trust, you need to consider its administration as well as its purpose.  Choosing a Wisconsin trustee to oversee and administer your trust is a critical decision. After all, a trustee should… Read more

Thinking about your family if you die or become disabled is not always at the top of our to-do lists.  However, planning for this now can save your family lots of stress if they find themselves in this situation. One way to protect your family is to create a revocable trust as part of your… Read more

Healthcare planning can often be a daunting task. However, as you age, healthcare planning can become more of a maze if you’re trying to plan for your future without help.  For elders, healthcare planning often involves care coordination, legal services, and advocacy services – all of which help you and your family prepare for your… Read more

When creating your estate plan, you run into numerous new terms, such as will, trust, power of attorney.  Each serves a specific purpose for your estate plan, but unless you’re an estate planning attorney, you may not know which does what. Let’s specifically look at trusts. A trust is a legal arrangement between the person… Read more

All states have rules and laws regarding probate administration – and Wisconsin’s no different. In Wisconsin, probate is the legal process of transferring assets after a person’s death while also dealing with any amounts owed to creditors or for taxes. A local probate court supervises this process. In Wisconsin, if your estate is valued at… Read more

If you have done any research into estate plans, then you have likely heard about revocable living trusts. Not only is it something you can do as part of your estate plan. It’s something that we highly recommended for most people. However, this begs the question, what about irrevocable trusts. What’s the difference between a… Read more

A common concern for parents as they start getting older is how they are going to pass their house to their children. Estate planning is where this often comes into play, but people tend to explore other options as well. Let’s look at all of them and determine what is the best way to leave… Read more

Are you worried about probate for your estate? We understand that. At Collins Law, we handle estate planning for many of our clients. Is probate required in Wisconsin? Let’s take a look at the letter of the law to help you navigate probate, when it happens, and how you can avoid it if you want… Read more