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13 posts in this category, newest first.
An advance directive records future care wishes; a living will addresses treatment preferences, while a health care proxy names a decision-maker.
A will directs property through the estate and can name guardians; a funded living trust can manage covered assets during life and transfer them outside probate.
An executor collects the decedent's assets, notifies creditors, pays valid debts and taxes, then distributes what is left. It is a fiduciary job, it takes months to years, and doing it in the wrong order creates personal liability.
If you die without a will, your state intestate succession statute decides who inherits, usually spouse and children first. A probate court also appoints the administrator and, if needed, a guardian for minor children.
Probate is the court-supervised process of settling a deceased person's estate: validating the will, paying debts, and distributing assets. Many people avoid it because it is slow, costly, and public. Living trusts, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and payable-on-death accounts can pass assets outside probate.
A power of attorney is a legal document that lets you name a trusted person, called your agent or attorney-in-fact, to make financial or medical decisions for you. You create one by choosing an agent, completing a state-compliant form, and signing it, usually before a notary or witnesses.
A power of attorney is a legal document letting you name an agent to make financial or medical decisions for you. Durable versions survive incapacity; rules vary by state.
Probate is the court-supervised process of transferring a decedent's assets. This post explains when a small estate affidavit can substitute, how full administration works, and the typical timeline from death to distribution.
A power of attorney is only as strong as the document. This post explains the durable, springing, and healthcare variations, the formalities that make them valid, and the limits a third party can refuse to honor.
Smart Legal Documents is the LawSensai product that drafts a document with AI, routes it to a real attorney for review, and finishes with a canvas-draw signature. It uses HMAC-signed completion webhooks and a public attorney rating page.
A valid will requires a few specific elements that every state recognizes. This post covers capacity, intent, signature, witnesses, self-proving affidavits, and the choices that determine whether a will controls or whether state intestacy law does.
Most adults do not have a will. The default rules (intestate succession) often produce results the deceased would not have chosen. A simple decision tree helps a healthy adult pick between a will, a revocable living trust, and a hybrid arrangement based on family structure, asset complexity, and state.
A power of attorney is the document that lets someone else act for you, and the differences between general, durable, springing, and limited POAs are the difference between a tool that protects you and one that exposes you. Here is a plain-English breakdown of each type and how to pick the right one.