Estate Planning Persuasive Essay

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When it comes to estate planning, one of the many questions is whether or not probate is an ideal option. Most of the time, it is better for your beneficiaries to avoid probate. Why would you want to avoid probate? Through the probate process you have no immediate access to cash in order to pay bills, debts, or taxes - you would be left paying for it all out of pocket. Also, a probate judge could get in the way and slow down the process which is already pretty lengthy, as well as the fees that are accrued and that probate is public record. In many cases, it is best to use every avenue available to avoid the probate process.

There are three main actions which can help avoid probate. These are: Jointly Titled Assets, Payable on Death or Transfer on Death Accounts, and a Revocable Living Trust. They all have their positive and negative aspects. This article is to briefly touch on each action and the different consequences of each.

Jointly titled assets consist of bank accounts, real estate, automobiles, and the like in which the main owner shares ownership with at least one other person. When the main owner dies, ownership is then transferred to the other owner(s) listed on the contract or agreement. Problems arise when it involves financial accounts. …show more content…

Also, if one of the owners is sued the funds may end up with a judgement lien on them and, depending on the outcome, may result in most or all of the funds being depleted. Another problems arises if the owner has three children, but only lists one child as the joint owner. This automatically causes the other two children to be disinherited from the account. Another issue arises when one of the beneficiaries is a minor. A conservatorship is put in place in order for the account to be used for the minors

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