The Happy Lawyer NC Blog
Want to narrow your search? Tap the buttons to read articles by category:
Get happy, helpful stories like these by email
Top Five Pet Trust Mistakes
A pet trust is an excellent way to make sure your beloved pet will receive proper care after you pass on. The problem, of course, is that you won’t actually be there to see that your wishes are carried out. It’s critical to set up a pet trust correctly to ensure there are no loopholes or unforeseen situations that could make your plans go awry. Here are the top five pet trust mistakes people often make when leaving their assets to their pets.
WHY EVERY PET PARENT NEEDS TO CONSIDER A PET TRUST
Frankly, it can be chaos for your pets if you are incapacitated or deceased without a plan. With the shuffle of so many other tasks, a pet can sometimes be overlooked, abandoned, or even euthanized. A pet trust provides a legal tool to ensure that your beloved dog, cat, or other pet is not left somewhere or euthanized merely because you are not here any longer. Proactively including a pet trust is especially important when you have family members that may be unable or unwilling to care for your beloved pets.
Ask These Top Five Critical Questions Before Investing In Vacation Property
Did you just return from vacation? Are you now dreaming about owning a vacation property? Or, did you look at vacation homes while on vacation? Take a minute before you invest in a vacation property. You need to ask these five critical question before investing in vacation property.
Discover Your Vacation Dream Team
Discover your Vacation Dream Team. Traveling the world can be an exciting adventure. By assembling a planning team, you can help make sure that you and your loved ones are fully protected while you are having the time of your life.
Summer Vacation Plans? Don’t Overlook The Importance of Estate Planning
Estate planning involves making arrangements for the distribution of your assets, the care of your loved ones, and the management of your affairs in the event of your incapacitation or passing. It may not be the most glamorous topic to discuss while daydreaming about sipping cocktails on a tropical beach, but it is a necessary and responsible step to ensure the security of your loved ones and your hard-earned assets.
5 Things To Do Before Leaving For Your Vacation
Getting ready to embark on your next great adventure? Before you zip up the last suitcase, here are five issues you need to address to protect yourself and your loved ones.
Congratulations on Turning 18. Now What?
Congratulations on Turning 18! Now what? Well, for starters, you are now a legal adult. Maybe you don’t feel like an adult. But, under the law, you now are. So, you need to start thinking like an adult and considering what will happen with your health, finances and stuff.
HIPAA And Young Adults
Once your child turns 18 years old, he or she is no longer a minor. This means that the hospitals and doctor’s offices must safeguard the patient’s information from everyone, including the parents. While it makes sense that a legal adult would be the one in charge of his or her own medical information, this can pose some problems for young adults. Learn about HIPAA and young adults
Essential Estate Planning Tips for College Students
You may have been running around for weeks, getting your new college student off to school. It's exhilarating, and your heart likely is bursting at the seams. You're probably prouder than words can express, but you’re also a little afraid, too. How can you make sure your kid is going to be safe at school, their new home away from home? A new, matching Bed Bath and Beyond sheet set for the dorm sounds great, but it just doesn't seem like quite enough, does it? So what else can you do? How about learning essential estate planning tips for college students?
Helping Graduates Prepare For Their Financial Future
Nearly one-third of young adults don’t have a budget, which creates a huge stumbling block for financial success. Give your children the tools they need to control their money instead of wondering where it went. Learn why helping graduates prepare for their financial future is so important.
When To Update Your Estate Plan
Life is full of surprises, and as your circumstances change, so should your estate plan. Updating your plan is essential to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes and that your loved ones are well taken care of. From getting married or divorced to having children or experiencing a significant change in finances, there are many life events that can impact your estate plan. In this blog we'll explore when to update your estate plan and the essential life changes that warrant a review. Don't leave your future to chance; stay ahead of the game and keep your estate plan up to date.
Estate Planning Basics for Newlyweds
It’s that time of year – the time for beautiful weddings, fun receptions, delicious cakes, special gifts, and romantic honeymoons. While this is a joyous time for everyone, it’s also time for you and your new spouse to plan for your future – for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. Don’t forget your estate plan!
Your Post Honeymoon Estate Planning Checklist
Your wedding is over, and the day was absolutely perfect. You went away on your honeymoon with your new spouse and had the time of your lives. Now you are back and can breathe a sigh of relief and watch the rest of the years ahead unfold before your eyes. Well, not so fast. Now that your honeymoon is over, there are several things you should be mindful of to make sure that the legal and financial parts of your life properly reflect your newly married status.
Estate Planning For The Newly Married
Congratulations on your marriage! Now is the perfect time to start working on an estate plan—because, as newlyweds, you may not have a list of your accounts, but you've effectively just done a working inventory of your possessions—as you've figured out how to consolidate two households into one. You've already been working on the new banking and shared responsibility of bills and taxes and so forth.
Use that all time and energy and work as a leapfrog into planning for your future—so you'll be that much more prepared for the house, the kids, and the next stages of your new life together.
Estate Planning vs Elder Law
Estate Planning and Elder Law go hand in hand. While Estate Planning deals with what happens when you die; elder law deals with what happens as you age and /or become disabled.
Comparing Elder Law and Estate Planning
Comparing elder law and estate planning - what’s the difference? Estate planning and elder law play different roles, while sharing some common ground. Despite these distinctions, both are crucial for safeguarding both you and your loved ones. While they often intersect, there are some nuances to consider.
What is Life Care Planning?
Elder law and estate planning are two concepts that are commonly confused. Nevertheless, these areas of law differ in important ways. Although there may be some overlap between them, it is essential to understand and utilize strategies from both fields to ensure a prosperous aging process and safeguard a family's heritage. So, dive in and learn what is life care planning and why you need it.
A Useless Power of Attorney
Yes, you can save money by using do it yourself on-line forms to create your legal documents. But, should you? If you are not a lawyer, preparing do it yourself legal documents can be very costly when the time comes for those documents to be used. So, beware of on-line legal documents.
Do It Yourself Will Problems
Is writing your own will a good idea? Sure, you can save money by doing it yourself. But, the better question is, is it worth it to save money by not working with a skilled estate planning attorney to create your will? Yes, do it yourself wills may seem like a good idea. But, before you rush out and write your own will, take some time to read this article. Learn some of the do it yourself will problems that may occur. And, you just may change your mind.
Stress Test Your Estate Plan
Has your life changed since you created your estate plan? Worried if your current plan still meets. your needs? Is this causing you stress? Learn how to stress test your estate plan.