Couples divorcing in Colorado have so many issues to sort through and things to split. While worrying about everything from child support and custody to splitting the house, it is easy to forget that the estate plan can be affected by the divorce. Forbes gives several...
Year: 2019
How might you breach your fiduciary duties?
If someone named you in his or her last will and testament as executor of his or her Colorado estate and you accepted this responsibility, that makes you a fiduciary. As FindLaw explains, what this means is that throughout the estate’s probate process you must act in...
What are Colorado’s intestate succession laws?
If you die without a will in Colorado, or if the state deems your will invalid, your estate goes to the state, thereby rendering it "intestate." If the state assumes control of your estate, it will distribute your assets and wealth in accordance with intestate...
Colorado’s Office of Public Guardianship may soon offer help
A situation that happens all too frequently in Colorado is one where an individual who is elderly, facing physical or mental disabilities or who is at the final stages of Alzheimer's disease is abandoned by their loved ones. A judge often appoints these "at-risk"...
There’s no such thing as being ‘too young’ to write a will
When you're in your late teens, early 20s or 30s, you tend to think that you have a lot of time to continue living. Your next day isn't guaranteed though. Unexpected illnesses, accidents and other catastrophic events happen. This is one of the reasons that many legal...
When should you update your Colorado will?
Many people put off drafting a will because they think that they're not old or wealthy enough to have one. Even when individuals do sit down and draft one, they soon thereafter put it in a safe place and forget about it. Few people take the time to revisit them....
Cleaning out your parent’s house
If death came suddenly, your parent may not have had time to purge and organize the house. On the other hand, if your parent had been ill for a long time, he or she may not have had the energy to sort through important documents or appraise valuable objects. As the...
Conservatorships aren’t permanent in Colorado
A conservator is someone who's appointed to manage an incapacitated person's property and finances. They're generally selected by a Colorado judge for this role after they present evidence that an individual's money is at risk of being wasted or lost. Once instituted,...
What are a Colorado personal representative’s responsibilities?
When an individual drafts a will, they generally also appoint an executor, now known as a personal representative in Colorado, to administer their estate. If they fail to do so, or the selected one doesn't or isn't able to perform their duties, then a judge will...
Estate problems may arise with multiple marriages
During the estate administration process, issues can crop up for a number of different reasons. In some cases, siblings simply can't get along. In others, they think the will is a fraud or that it doesn't accurately reflect what their parents would have wanted. There...