LegalShield Blog

A Will is one of the most crucial legal documents you can have in place. It allows you to help protect your loved ones, establish who gets your assets, designate donations and property distribution, and make other critical decisions for after your passing. If you are...

Whether you have planned your estate or you haven’t even thought about that process yet, you have probably still heard the terms “Will” and “Living Trust.” These phrases may confuse you. After all, what is a Will? What is a Living Trust? Which is better—Living Trust...

A Trust is a relationship in which one party (grantor) gives a second party (trustee) the right to hold title to property or assets for the benefit of a third party (beneficiary). So what does this mean? Are you concerned about the future of your estate? Perhaps you...

A Last Will and Testament prepares for the inevitable. A Last Will and Testament is a legal document that provides who is to receive your property after your death, who will administer your estate, who will serve as guardian to your children, and many other...

Planning the future of your estate is a huge endeavor! Before you start searching “estate planning for dummies” on the internet, check out our comprehensive Estate Planning Guide (PDF). We know the estate planning process can be confusing. That’s why we’ve compiled...

Updated Aug. 14, 2023 Creating a Will is the smartest way to stay in control over who gets your property, who administers your estate, and who will care for your children. This Make-A-Will Month, LegalShield members can join our provider law firms for webinars or...

Estate planning. Writing a will. End-of-life decisions. These are topics that nobody really wants to think about. Young and old alike, people tend to avoid dealing with these major legal issues, even though everyone will have to face them at some point. How do you...

Did you know that August is National Make a Will Month? Having an estate plan is so important, and in this article, we’re diving deeper into why it’s a good idea for expecting parents to set up a Will before their child is born. Experts recommend creating an estate...

Actor Chadwick Boseman passed without a Will Beloved actor Chadwick Boseman, AKA the star of Black Panther, has passed away after a battle to colon cancer. Due to the unpredictable nature of his death, Boseman died without a Will, leaving the court to decide who will...

Trusts and Wills clearly spell out the rights of beneficiaries and responsibilities of legal guardians or executors of estates. As a beneficiary, it is important to thoroughly understand and be aware of the rights you have been afforded during the estate planning...

Within estate planning, Trusts and Wills have important yet sometimes conflicting roles to play when it comes to managing an individual’s assets in the event of incapacitation or death. During the process of execution of a Will or Trust, several questions can come up...

Updated July 31, 2023 When it comes to Wills and estate planning, you have many different types of Wills to choose from. It can be confusing to figure out which one is right for you. Still, choosing the right Will documents can impact your well-being, estate,...

A Power of Attorney is a legal document that gives someone the authority to make decisions on your behalf. This can include things like making financial decisions, handling business affairs, or managing your health care. But can a Power of Attorney change a Will? In...

Updated August 24, 2023 When it comes to estate planning, one of the most important decisions you will make is whether to set up a Trust. A Trust can be a great way to protect your assets and ensure that your loved ones are taken care of after you’re gone. You...

When someone dies, their loved ones are often left to deal with the aftermath. This can be a difficult time, and it is often made even more complicated if the deceased person did not leave a Will. How a Will helps your family is very clear. This document outlines a...

If a loved one has passed and you’ve been named as the executor of their estate, you might feel intimidated by what that might entail—and everything you have to do. For now, let’s just focus on one aspect of being an estate executor. If you’ve been wondering how to...

Where there’s a Will, there’s a way…to find out if it exists. Surprisingly, many people don’t let the people closest to them know where they keep one of the most important documents in their lives, their Last Will and Testament. Over the years, we’ve heard many...

Updated July 31, 2023 After a long day, you’d probably rather kick up your feet and watch TV than discuss what will happen if your cat Meatball outlives you. No one likes talking about Wills because no one likes thinking about death—and we don’t blame you. However,...

You’ve probably heard the term “power of attorney” (POA) many times over the years. The question is: do you need a POA? LegalShield is here to help break it down. Remember, if you have any POA-related questions, LegalShield lawyers are always available and waiting to...

Millennials are finally starting to write their Wills. If there's one lesson we've all learned throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it's that anything can happen in an instant. One day everything can be fine, and the next day, life is chaos. People can pass away...

With a star-studded cast and interesting, entertaining plot, there’s more than one reason Knives Out has been such a success in the box office. At LegalShield, we love it for those reasons AND because it teaches audiences some important lessons about estate planning....

Not exactly a "whale of a time": A lobster diver has quite the story... Earlier this month, a lobster diver named Michael Packard dove 45 feet into the Cape Cod waters and found more than just the familiar crustaceans. Suddenly, he said, a whale scooped him up into...

Considerations in Creating a Will You have a Will – congrats! Does this mean you can toss it in your dusty file folders to never look at again? Nope. A common error in estate planning is creating a Will but then failing to update it when life circumstances change....

It’s an unavoidable fact of life that many, if not most of us, put off the difficult and unpleasant chores of life, particularly those involving lots of paperwork. That’s perhaps even more true for those things we don’t fully understand; it’s easier to ignore...

If you’ve gone to the effort of creating a thorough and comprehensive Will, and perhaps trust, for your assets, you probably feel confident that you’ve rightfully made things simpler for your family in the event of your death. You’ve taken on the bulk of the work,...

Estate Planning Starts with Creating a Will We look to take care of our family in the home that we buy, and we want that homeownership to continue throughout life and even past our death. For that, we need to make sure that all our assets are accounted for by taking a...

Being Prepared with a Will A Will answers many lingering questions about your assets when you die, but its purpose is not to simply designate what will happen to your house and belongings. One of the most important reasons to have a Will is to select who will care for...

Creating a Will A majority of Americans don’t have a Will. One of the top reasons? It’s too overwhelming and complicated. Although Wills are arguably one of the most important legal documents in an average person’s lifetime, most of us fail to complete one before...

The Benefits of Financial and Healthcare Powers of Attorney When you create a power of attorney (POA), you create a legal document giving someone the legal authority to make decisions and act on your behalf. Many people incorporate this document as part of their...

Ensuring Your Protection Creating a Will is something that most of us don’t consider until the world forces us to. Times of crisis tend to remind us that death is never as far away as it may seem, particularly when we’re relatively young and healthy. We need to have...

Creating a Will Almost all adults know what a Will does, but very few know what goes into it, and about half of Americans have not taken the time to create one. We’re generally not very good at planning for the distant future, likely because we very much want to...

Medical Documents Every Person Needs to Prepare The medical process can be a maze of paperwork and regulations, and when you’re dealing with an emergency, it can be especially frustrating to navigate. Often in serious situations, the responsibility of sorting through...

Health Care Agents A health care agent makes health care decisions for you when you are unable to do so. There are some decisions, however, that they cannot make on your behalf -- let us explain a few of the key things you should know. There may be a time when you are...

Writing a Will Wills and Trusts serve as vital components of any estate-planning effort. Working your way around Wills and Trusts can be challenging. The following list of terms will help you get your feet wet on all things Will and Trust-related. Declaration A Will...

Creating a Will Most people under a certain age haven’t given much thought to a Will. Either they’re not at the age when death is something that enters their thinking, unexpected or not, or they don’t think they have enough assets of value that are worth worrying...

Did you know you can continue to provide for your animal friends even after you die? That’s right! Pet trusts are on the rise. With a pet trust, you can leave an inheritance for your beloved cat or dog. Even less-common pets like roosters and tortoises can be...

Estate Planning Most of us might not think we have what could be termed an estate, but an estate is simply a collection of the assets we’ve accumulated over a lifetime and planning for end-of-life involves forming an estate plan. Your estate plan will help you make...

Many people assume all of their bank accounts, investments and insurance policies will be distributed according to their Last Will and Testament, but this may not be the case. These types of accounts, including checking accounts, life insurance, retirement portfolios...

Estate Planning Simplified Growing older comes with many challenges but estate planning does not need to be one of them. It is important to prepare for medical emergencies and the distribution of your estate. Take advantage of your LegalShield membership to begin the...

In the weeks immediately following the death of Robin Williams, his family seemed unified in grief. That illusion was shattered recently when court documents revealed the infighting over his wealth, memorabilia, and even clothing had resulted in Mrs. Williams banning...

One of the greatest benefits of a LegalShield policy is the Will package. The process of obtaining your Will begins with completing the LegalShield Will Questionnaire. You can complete the Will Questionnaire via the LegalShield app, which you can download from the...