Photo: Paige Cody / Unsplash- Family and estate
Will vs. Living Trust: Which One Do You Need?
Understand the differences between a will and a revocable living trust, including probate, privacy, cost and when each makes sense.
2 min read - Family and estate
Power of Attorney: Types, Uses and How to Choose an Agent
General, limited, durable, healthcare and springing powers of attorney explained in plain language.
2 min read - Family and estate
How Divorce Works in the US: The Basic Steps
A plain-English overview of filing for divorce, contested versus uncontested cases, property, support and custody.
2 min read - Family and estate
Child Support Basics: How Amounts Are Set and Enforced
How courts calculate child support, how to ask for a change and what happens when payments are missed.
2 min read - Family and estate
How to Legally Change Your Name
The usual steps for a court name change, plus how marriage and divorce name changes differ, and which records to update.
2 min read - Family and estate
The Probate Process Explained Step by Step
What probate is, how long it takes, what an executor does and which assets avoid it.
2 min read - Family and estate
Child Custody Basics: Legal vs. Physical Custody
How courts decide custody, the difference between legal and physical custody and how parenting plans and changes work.
2 min read - Family and estate
Guardianship and Conservatorship: How They Work
When a court appoints a guardian or conservator for a minor or incapacitated adult, the process and the alternatives.
2 min read - Family and estate
The Adoption Process: Types and Basic Steps
An overview of agency, private, foster care, stepparent and international adoption, plus home studies and finalization.
2 min read - Family and estate
Prenuptial Agreements Explained: What They Can and Cannot Do
How prenups work, what they typically cover, what makes one enforceable and when couples might want one.
2 min read - Family and estate
Living Wills and Advance Directives: Planning for Medical Decisions
How a living will and a healthcare proxy work together to state your medical wishes if you cannot speak for yourself.
2 min read - Family and estate
Alimony and Spousal Support: Types, Factors and Taxes
How courts decide spousal support, the main types of alimony, how long it lasts and what changed for taxes.
2 min read - Family and estate
What Does an Executor Do? Duties and Responsibilities
The main duties of an executor of an estate, from filing the will to paying debts and distributing property.
2 min read - Family and estate
Establishing Paternity: How Legal Fatherhood Works
How paternity is established through acknowledgment, genetic testing or court order and why it matters for custody, support and benefits.
2 min read - Family and estate
Grandparents' Visitation Rights: When Courts Allow It
How state laws handle grandparent visitation, the constitutional rights of parents and what grandparents can do to seek contact.
2 min read - Family and estate
Common-Law Marriage: Which States Recognize It and What It Means
How common-law marriage works, requirements to establish it, the states that recognize it and how it affects divorce and benefits.
2 min read - Family and estate
Divorce Property Division: Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution
How states divide marital property in divorce, what counts as marital vs. separate property and how debts are handled.
2 min read - Family and estate
Who Gets the House in a Divorce? Options and Considerations
Common ways couples and courts handle the family home in divorce, including selling, buyouts and temporary occupancy for children.
2 min read - Family and estate
Retirement Accounts in Divorce: 401(k)s, Pensions and QDROs
How retirement accounts and pensions are divided in divorce and how a qualified domestic relations order works.
2 min read - Family and estate
How to Contest a Will: Grounds, Deadlines and Standing
Who can challenge a will, the common grounds such as lack of capacity or undue influence and the short deadlines.
2 min read - Family and estate
How to Write a Will: A Practical Checklist
Steps to create a valid will, what to include, signing requirements and common mistakes to avoid.
2 min read - Family and estate
Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts: Differences and Uses
How revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts work, their purposes, control, taxes and creditor protection.
2 min read - Family and estate
Intestacy: Who Inherits When There Is No Will?
How state intestacy laws decide who inherits when someone dies without a will and how to start the process.
2 min read - Family and estate
Beneficiary Designations vs. Wills: Which One Controls?
Why beneficiary forms on retirement accounts and life insurance override a will and how to keep them current.
2 min read - Family and estate
Estate Taxes and Inheritance Taxes: The Basics
How federal estate tax and state estate and inheritance taxes work, who pays them and common ways to reduce them.
2 min read - Family and estate
Joint Tenancy and Right of Survivorship: How Co-Owned Property Passes
How joint tenancy, tenancy in common and tenancy by the entirety differ and what happens to property when an owner dies.
2 min read - Family and estate
Life Insurance Claims: How Beneficiaries Get Paid
How to file a life insurance claim, how long it takes, why claims are delayed or denied and what to do if there is a dispute.
2 min read - Family and estate
Special Needs Trusts: Protecting Benefits for a Person With a Disability
How special needs trusts let a person with a disability receive money without losing benefits such as SSI and Medicaid.
2 min read - Family and estate
Elder Law and Medicaid Basics: Paying for Long-Term Care
How Medicaid covers long-term care, asset and income limits, the five-year look-back and why professional advice matters.
2 min read - Family and estate
Nursing Home Residents' Rights and How to File a Complaint
The federal rights of nursing home residents, signs of neglect or abuse and how to report concerns and get help.
2 min read - Family and estate
Elder Financial Abuse: Signs, Reporting and Protection
Common forms of financial exploitation of older adults, warning signs and steps to report and prevent it.
2 min read - Family and estate
Modifying a Child Custody Order: When and How
When courts allow custody or parenting time changes, the substantial change requirement and how to petition.
2 min read - Family and estate
Relocating With a Child After Separation or Divorce
Rules on moving with a child when a custody order exists, notice requirements and how courts decide relocation requests.
2 min read - Family and estate
Termination of Parental Rights: When and Why It Happens
How courts end parental rights, the grounds, procedures, rights of parents and the role in adoption.
2 min read - Family and estate
Stepparent Adoption: Steps and Requirements
How a stepparent can legally adopt a stepchild, consent requirements, the court process and effects on the other parent.
2 min read - Family and estate
Marriage License Requirements: What You Need to Get Married
Typical requirements for a marriage license, waiting periods, age rules, name changes and legal effects of marriage.
2 min read - Family and estate
Annulment vs. Divorce: What Is the Difference?
How an annulment treats a marriage as if it never existed, grounds, time limits and how it differs from divorce.
2 min read - Family and estate
Domestic Partnerships and Civil Unions: Rights and Limits
How domestic partnerships and civil unions work, state recognition, benefits and how they compare with marriage.
2 min read - Family and estate
Spousal Rights to Inheritance: Elective Share and Homestead
How surviving spouses are protected from disinheritance through elective share, homestead and family allowances.
2 min read