Basic Estate Planning and Probate

Introduction
Estate planning is important no matter what your stage in life happens to be. Whether you are young and single, married with children, approaching retirement age or in retirement, you need to have at least a basic estate plan in place. You need to protect your assets and make sure your wishes are carried through in the event you cannot speak for yourself.
The Basic Estate Plan
The basic estate plan consists of a will, a power of attorney and a health care directive (sometimes called a living will). Other advanced estate planning tools exist, including trusts, however the focus of this article will be the basic estate plan. If you are interested in trusts, contact an attorney to discuss whether it would be beneficial for you to have such an instr View the rest of this article