New laws regarding marriage

Now that Arizona recognizes same-sex marriage it is a good idea to review your estate plan. Do you have a Domestic Partnership Agreement which should become a Pre-Marriage or Post-Marriage Agreement? Do you have joint property that now can be treated as community property? Does a family member have a partner who now legally can be recognized as an in-law? There can be different answers for different situations, so it is a good time to have your estate planning documents reviewed.

Having the right Successor Trustee

We can make things easier for our family when we are ill or upon our death, when we effectively use a Revocable Living Trusts are very useful for assuring access to assets due to illness or death. One way is to be sure that you have the right persons named as your Successor Trustee to take care of your assets when you cannot. If you have named a financial institution to be a Successor Trustee, make sure that your assets meet the financial minimum. If a bank will not serve as Successor Trustee because your assets are under the minimum, you want to be sure you have listed a trusted person or another financial institution. The Successor Trustee does not have to be a financial wizard, but just someone who is responsible and will hire the right professionals to assist you.