FAQ Friday: Common Misconceptions

On Friday, March 10th, Attorney, Steve Berger discusses common misconceptions about Wills.

The first is that “since there is a Will, there is no probate”. What the Will does is provide instruction and clear guidance when faced with probate. All of the representatives are listed. There are ways to avoid probate, but a Will does not do so.

Another common one is “I’m named as the only beneficiary of the decedent so I should get everything.” This happens often. Maybe there is only one child, but there was a second marriage and the house and bank accounts are jointly owned and those may have separately listed beneficiaries. So only what goes through the estate administration is what goes to the beneficiary listed.

If you have additional questions with a probate or estate planning you are considering, you might want to schedule an appointment with our office to help further.

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Bring your questions about estate planning and administration to our weekly Facebook Live with Mr. Berger on Fridays at 11am EST. Leave your email if you’d like to receive a notification of our response.