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Sorting Out a Guardian: Happy Birthday Harry Potter! July 29, 2023 By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi  Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi, 2023 The weekend is nearly here.  For my home it is not just any old summer weekend, it is a threshold weekend.  My youngest child will turn 13, marking a time when we leave behind the little kid and tween years.  Tucked away on the shelves in our basement are Spot It game cards, stuffies adopted on our travels, and her Harry Potter books.  Potterheads (the term for diehard fans of Harry Potter) will be quick to tell you that Harry celebrates his birthday this time of year, specificially July 31st.   The boy wizzard at the center of the seven book series (and movies) is an orphan; just about every protagonist is an orphan in children's literature. An estimated 153 million children in the world are orphans , according to SOS Children's Villages.  A will is the one legal way a parent can nominate another person to become t...

Aretha Franklin & Estate Planning: Think By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi July 21, 2023 At some point in 2014 American Singer-Songwriter and Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, tucked a notebook with a handwritten document titled "my will" into the cushions of her sofa.  It went unnoticed after her death for sometime and was only found by chance when relatives started searching through her home after her death.  Now, in July of 2023, a Michigan jury has found the document to be a valid will, undoing prior documents created by the American icon.  We can only speculate as to why Aretha Franklin stored such an important document in the seats of her sofa -- perhaps illness prevented her from physically leaving her home and putting the document in a more secure location.  Nevertheless, the last thing any family needs when grieving is a scavenger hunt for the will.  Here are three options to THINK about if your only option is keeping a will at home: Order a fireproof and ...

Estate Planning Wisdom From Frank Sinatra By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi July 14, 2023 Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi, 2023 On a recent vacation to New York City my family found itself on the banks of the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey .  We had an amazing lunch at the Blue Eyes restaurant, snapped a few selfies with the Frank Sinatra statue (pictured above), and then headed into Manhattan for a week of exploring the city.  During our road trip east we listened to Sinatra's greatest hits, and a few lines from My Way hung in my mind.  My thoughts twisted and turned as I made the transition from "work mode" to "vacation mode",  "I faced it all and I stood tall and I did it my way."  Hitting the ear of an estate planning and probate attorney, I heard: Face the facts of your life situation; Be confident in what you think is best; and Express what you want to happen. Much has been written about why people do not set up a will; oftentimes, when asked why ...

7 Steps to Ease the Probate Process By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi July 7, 2023 Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi, 2023 Probate is a court process to handle a person's financial affairs at death.  In a nutshell, assets (those without beneficiaries) are gathered, final bills of the deceased are paid, and the remainder is distributed according to the will, or if no will, by state statute.  The following are 7 steps you can take to make this process as easy as possible on your loved ones: Write a Will:  a will is a legal document that says who is in charge of handling your final affairs and distributing the assets you have at death.  If you have not written a will, your State Legislature has one for you in the statutes -- most likely giving assets to your relatives. Gather titles and deeds to your property: easy access to the deed or title to your assets (home, car, boats, cabin, etc) allows the person in charge to quickly understand what assets are in your estate, and will f...