Amy's Angle

  6 Things You Should NOT Include in Your Will by Amy Clemmons Brown, Esq.   A will is one of the most basic estate planning tools. While relying solely on a will is rarely a suitable option for most people, just about every estate plan includes this key document in one form or another.    A will is used to designate how you want your assets distributed to your surviving loved ones upon your death. If you die without a will, state law governs how your assets are distributed, which may or may not be in line with your wishes. That said, not all assets can (or should) be included in your will. For this reason, it’s important for you to understand which assets you should put in your will and which assets you should include in other planning documents like trusts. While you should always consult with an experienced planning professional like me when creating your will, here are a few of the different types of assets that should not be included in your will. 1. Ass...

Getting Divorced? Don’t Overlook These 4 Updates to Your Estate Plan—Part 2 by Amy Clemmons Brown, Esq. Going through divorce can be an overwhelming experience that impacts nearly every facet of your life, including estate planning. Yet, with so much to deal with during the divorce process, many people forget to update their plan or put it off until it’s too late. Failing to update your plan before, during, and after your divorce can have a number of potentially tragic consequences, some of which you’ve likely not considered—and in most cases, you can’t rely on your divorce lawyer to bring them up. If you are in the midst of a divorce, and your divorce lawyer has not brought up estate planning, there are several things you need to know. First off, you need to update your estate plan, not only after your divorce is final, but as soon as you know a split is inevitable. Here’s why: until your divorce is final, your marriage is legally in full effect. This means if you die or become ...

Getting Divorced? Don’t Overlook These 4 Updates to Your Estate Plan—Part 1 by Amy Clemmons Brown, Esq. Going through divorce can be an overwhelming experience that impacts nearly every facet of your life, including estate planning. Yet, with so much to deal with during the divorce process, many people forget to update their plan or put it off until it’s too late. Failing to update your plan for divorce can have a number of potentially tragic consequences, some of which you’ve likely not considered—and in most cases, you can’t rely on your divorce lawyer to bring them up. If you are in the midst of a divorce, and your divorce lawyer has not brought up estate planning, there are several things you need to know. First off, you need to update your estate plan, not only after your divorce is final, but as soon as you know a split is inevitable. Here’s why: until your divorce is final, your marriage is legally in full effect. This means if you die or become incapacitated while your divorc...

                      Will Your Estate Plan Actually Work When Your Family Needs It? by Amy Clemmons Brown, Esq. November 6, 2020 is “National Love Your Lawyer Day,” which started in 2001, as a way to celebrate lawyers for their positive contributions and encourage the public to view lawyers in a more favorable light. As your Personal Family Lawyer®, I am dedicated to improving the public’s perception of lawyers by offering family-centered legal services specifically tailored to provide my clients with the kind of love, attention, and trust I ’d want for my own loved ones. With that in mind, this post gives some insight into how this vision for a new law business model first came about. If you’re like most people, you likely think estate planning is just one more task to check off of your life’s endless “to-do” list. You may shop around and find a lawyer to create planning documents for you, or you might try creating your own DIY ...