Reports

Special Reports are written on topics that affect various aspects of estate planning and the laws that govern it.

FREE ACCESS TO OUR SPECIAL REPORTS

These reports are published by the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and cover a wide-variety of subjects relating to estate planning. Click on a report title to read more or to order a complimentary copy.

15 Common Reasons To Do Estate Planning

Find out the most common reasons why it is important to do estate planning such as avoiding probate, protecting your assets and designating someone who will manage your affairs after your pass away. These are all important matters that should not be ignored.

Dangers of Do-It-Yourself Wills and Living Trusts

Estate planning is an essential part of life and death. In planning for our future and our family’s future, we must take stock of who we are, what our goals are, and how we want our estate distributed.

Living Trusts: Calculating the Benefits

Chances are you’ve already heard a lot about the attributes of Living Trusts: avoiding probate and legal quagmires, sometimes lowering estate and/or income taxes and protecting privacy.

Planning It Right the Second Time Around

One thing should be clear by now: we do our families and ourselves a great disservice when we fail to plan for every contingency. That’s why a crucial first step in this entire process should be a consultation with an estate planning attorney.

Probate: An Executor's Role and Responsibilities

The passing of someone close to you is a difficult and emotionally draining time. The last thing you likely want to deal with is the business of settling your loved one’s final affairs. But, if you are a potential executor, it’s one of those things that must be done, and it’s not as horrible as you may have feared.

The Trouble of Joint Tenancy

Although Joint Tenancy offers some short-term conveniences, in the long run it poses a host of problems that can cost you and your loved ones many times the expense and headaches you thought you were avoiding.

Where There's a Will, There's a Probate

Would you like to know the intimate details of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ life? You don’t have to read her story in the tabloids or wait for the latest unauthorized biography.