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Understanding Sundowning in Elders and How an Estate Plan Addresses Dementia Care.

Understanding Sundowning in Elders and How an Estate Plan Addresses Dementia Care

Sundowning is a common symptom of dementia in elders that typically occurs in late afternoon and evening, as the sun sets. The syndrome is characterized by increased confusion, restlessness, agitation, and other similar behavior and feelings. An esta… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
Understanding how a bypass trust works in estate planning.

Understanding How a Bypass Trust Works in Estate Planning

Estate planning tools include many different types of trusts, each of which provides benefits in specific circumstances. A specialized trust arrangement referred to as a bypass trust may be used by high-net-worth families to transfer assets across ge… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
How Trust Administration and Probate Are Different.

How Trust Administration and Probate Are Different

When a Georgia resident passes away, state laws determine the process for estate administration, property distribution, and settlement of the deceased person’s estate. For most estates, the applicable process is either trust administration or proba… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
Navigating Estate Planning in a Remarriage.

Navigating Estate Planning in a Remarriage

A new marriage is often a remarriage for one or both new spouses, which simply means that the new marriage is not the first marriage for the remarried spouse(s). Remarriages occur in many different situations, but in every case the remarriage is a re… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
What Do the Terms Per Stirpes and Per Capita Mean in Estate Planning?

What Do the Terms Per Stirpes and Per Capita Mean in Estate Planning?

Estate planning documents often contain terminology with special legal meaning. Two examples of terms that may appear in a last will and testament or a trust are per stirpes and per capita. Both terms relate to how estate property is distributed in t… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
How To Avoid Ancillary Probate With Estate Planning.

How To Avoid Ancillary Probate With Estate Planning

If you are a Georgia resident who owns property in another state, your estate may face ancillary probate in the other state after your death, in addition to probate of your estate in Georgia. Ancillary probate incurs additional expenses and requires… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
What Is a Transfer-On-Death Deed in Georgia?

What Is a Transfer-On-Death Deed in Georgia?

Effective on July 1, 2024, Georgia law recognizes a special type of real property deed that may be used to transfer property on the owner’s death. The deed is called a transfer-on-death deed, or TOD deed. While the new law adds an option for addres… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
What Is a Trust Protector.

What Is a Trust Protector

If your estate plan includes a trust, you may have concerns about protecting the integrity of the trust if unexpected changes occur or legal challenges arise at a later date. In that situation, you may wish to consider the option of designating a tru… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
What Is Portability in Estate Planning?

What Is Portability in Estate Planning?

Portability is a federal estate tax rule that applies exclusively to the estates of married spouses. The rule allows a surviving spouse to apply any unused portion of a deceased spouse’s individual federal estate tax exemption to the surviving spou… Read More
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Categories: Estate Planning
two people sitting across from one another at a table with planning documents on it - Incapacity Planning concept

What To Know About Incapacity Planning in Georgia

Planning for incapacity is an essential part of estate planning in Georgia. Specific documents in your estate plan protect you and your loved ones in the event you become unable to make personal, medical, or financial decisions for yourself temporari… Read More
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