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Unfortunately, prenuptial agreements, or prenups as they are commonly known, often have a negative connotation. People often think they are only used by wealthy people who don’t expect a marriage to last. But the truth is even the strongest of marriages can benefit greatly from a prenuptial agreement.

When you draft your will, you will not only be naming to who you bequeath your assets, you will also be choosing who will administer your estate after you pass. Formerly known as Executors and Executrixes, the person in charge of administering a decedent’s estate is now known as a Personal Representative.

Imagine this scenario. Your Great Aunt Edna has died. Beyond her beloved Pomeranian dog and her 1987 Buick, she really didn’t have much. You are now tasked with handling the probate process for your Great Aunt’s estate. This seems like a daunting task, but there is a low cost, highly efficient alternative to the long drawn out probate process. The alternative is a Small Estate Affidavit.

You know the scene. The grieving family gathers in a room, usually with leather chairs and books. The siblings are bickering, while the Aunt and Mother gossip away. Suddenly the lawyer comes in with a Last Will and Testament in his hand. He sits at the desk and breaks the seal. He begins to read the will.

In the last decade or so, there has been an uptick in online services offering “Do It Yourself” estate planning. They claim to offer fast and simple solutions to estate planning issues. Some of these services even claim that comprehensive estate planning can be done in 15 minutes through their service. While it is great that these services are raising awareness about the importance of estate planning, the fact of the matter is that estate planning is a complicated and complex process that requires professional support.

The Sopranos is one of the greatest television shows to ever air. Its explorations of the American Dream, and family (blood or otherwise) forever changed television. But there is another issue it explores that is of particular interest to me as an elder law attorney.

You are Not Invincible. Being young can give one a sense of invincibility. You see stories of people being incapacitated in car wrecks, or by COVID or other illnesses, and you think that won’t happen to you.

I’ve lived in Kansas City my whole life. I am firmly convinced that there is no city better than Kansas City.