Nashville Estate Administration Law Blog

You want to leave your children an inheritance to support them after you pass, but you also want to make sure that they won't squander it. You think it would be best not to let them know about it because they won't fight and won't worry about what they want to do with the money or assets once they receive them.

To be honest, it's usually best to talk to your beneficiaries and heirs about your plans before you pass away. Why? If you don't, then they may not know what your true intentions are in passing these assets on.

It's hard to imagine someone you love passing away, but it does happen. When it does, you may be the person who is assigned to help execute the individual's will.

Before any will can be executed, it needs to be proven to be valid. All wills have a few things that must be present. These things include:

• A valid signature
• A voluntary signature
• Being of a legal age (18 or older) when signing
• Having testamentary capacity
• Properly disposing of the testator's property
• Witnesses (at least two other parties) as well as being dated

There are many different things to consider when you are planning your estate. Every estate has different factors that could play a role in an estate plan's development.

Creating your estate plan can be a complex task, and it can be emotionally overwhelming in some cases. It's a good idea to work with someone who has created estate plans in the past if you're worried about making sure that your plan minimizes taxes, communicates your wishes clearly and helps you avoid mistakes or unwanted complications.

If there is one big question that people ask when deciding to leave behind inheritances, it's this: Should you tell those receiving inheritances that you're leaving them assets?

It can be a hard decision to make. Should you let someone know that you're planning to give them something when you die? Should you simply put the correct documents in place to pass on your assets when you die instead of telling them outright?