Estate Planning

A comprehensive and well thought out estate plan can protect you, your assets, and your loved ones throughout your lifetime and after you pass away. Creating your initial estate plan is a crucial first step; however, estate planning is something that is ever truly finished. For your estate plan to work as intended, you need to review and revise your plan from time to time. One crucial aspect of estate planning that frequently gets overlooked is the updating of fiduciaries. Fiduciaries play an … [Read more...] about The Importance of Updating Fiduciaries in Your Estate Plan

For most people, the ability to dictate how their estate assets are distributed following their death is a primary motivating factor in the creation of an estate plan. Estate assets can include anything from real property to bank accounts to personal property. While deciding who will inherit real property and financial accounts may be a difficult decision, the process of deciding how to distribute personal property comes with its own challenges. Unlike money and real estate, personal property … [Read more...] about Top 5 Ways to Distribute Your Personal Property

As parents age, thoughts about the legacy they'll leave behind often turn toward their family home. For many, passing down their home to their adult child is an estate planning goal. Whether it's to provide financial security, preserve family history, or simply keep the home within the family, there are various ways to accomplish this goal. With that in mind, the Indianapolis attorneys at Frank & Kraft discuss options for passing down your home to an adult child. What Options Do I Have to … [Read more...] about Options for Passing Down Your Home to an Adult Child

A comprehensive estate plan aims to accomplish numerous goals that go above and beyond just distributing the creator’s estate assets after he/she is gone. Protecting assets, both during life and after death, should be one of those additional goals. The way in which you hold legal title to real property can directly impact your ability to achieve that goal. With that in mind, an Indianapolis attorney at Frank & Kraft discusses whether you should include a life estate in your Indiana estate … [Read more...] about Should My Indiana Estate Plan Include a Life Estate?

In the 21st century, we are all accustomed to finding just about anything we are looking for with a quick internet search. It can be tempting to google your medical symptoms instead of consulting a physician or rely on fill-in-the blank legal forms instead of working with an experienced attorney. To discourage you from doing the latter, the Indianapolis estate planning attorneys at Frank & Kraft explain several of the numerous benefits of working with an estate planning attorney. What Is … [Read more...] about What Are the Benefits of Working with an Estate Planning Attorney?

The prospect of sitting down and creating an estate plan can be daunting for many people. In fact, about half of all Americans do not have an estate plan in place, often because they find the entire concept to be intimidating. If you are ready to get started with your estate plan, but you are not sure where to start, the Indianapolis estate planning attorneys at Frank & Kraft suggest that you start by asking yourself some important estate planning questions. Estate Planning Can Be … [Read more...] about What Are Some Good Estate Planning Questions to Ask Myself?

For many people, charitable gifting is an important part of who they are and of the legacy they hope to leave behind when they are gone. If you are among them, incorporating your philanthropic goals into your estate plan is important. When doing so, you should maximize any secondary benefits that might be available to you. One charitable gifting tool you may wish to consider using is a charitable gift annuity. The Indianapolis estate planning attorneys at Frank & Kraft explain what a … [Read more...] about What Is a Charitable Gift Annuity?

Probate is the legal process typically required after an individual’s death to settle and distribute the decedent’s estate. The probate process can be costly and complicated even without disputes; however, when a dispute turns into litigation, it can wreak havoc with the administration of the estate. The Indianapolis estate planning attorneys at Frank & Kraft explain how an estate might end up in litigation. Probate Basics After the death of an individual, his/her assets must be … [Read more...] about How Might an Estate End Up in Litigation?

For many people, philanthropy is an important part of their everyday life. If you are one of those people, your charity does not have to end when you are gone. On the contrary, with careful planning, your charitable gifting can continue long past the time of your death. The Indianapolis estate planning attorneys at Frank & Kraft explain how to incorporate charitable gifting strategies and tools into your estate plan. Philanthropy in Your Daily Life Are you someone for whom philanthropy … [Read more...] about How Can I Incorporate Charitable Gifting into My Estate Plan?