Let’s talk about death – an inevitable thing.
The time immediately following your passing will be difficult for your loved ones. The grief of losing someone they love will be emotionally stressful. But apart from that, it can be a legal burden for them as well, most especially if you did not put everything (your assets) into a well-crafted estate plan while you’re still living. Just imagine how stressful it can be when the assets (with all of their complexities ) that you leave behind go to a probate process. Thankfully, a probate attorney, Yucca Valley, CA, can be a big help to ease the burden associated with the probate process.
Probate is a process where your will is introduced in court to be accepted as an authentic and accurate legal document that tells how your estate will be distributed. It should reflect the exact wishes of yourself. Knowing the importance of such a process, it makes sense that you establish a solid estate plan while you are still living. This helps distribute the estate according to your will smoothly and without untoward events – e.g. legal battles among contesting parties.
Your probate attorney, Yucca Valley, CA, can only do so much based on your wishes and the available documents that support them. Thus, such documents must be readily available for your probate attorney’s easy perusal and evaluation.
Here are the relevant documents that should be made available to your representative as they work with a probate attorney in Yucca Valley, CA:
- The death certificate and the last will and testament
- Your financial documents, such as bank statements
- A list of the assets you owned. This will include bank accounts, real estate, furniture, vehicles, and financial instruments, such as stocks or bonds, as well as digital assets
- A list of names and addresses of those people you named in the will (this can be a great help for the probate attorney to speed the process for the loved one you’ll leave behind)
- A list of questions you have, including the lawyer’s qualifications and experience, basics of the probate process, and any roadblocks or challenges that your representative/loved ones encounter during the process
The life of your loved ones that you leave behind can be challenging, but even more so when you are not prepared. Therefore, while still living, it is imperative that you work on your estate plan to ensure that they will be okay should the inevitable come.
If you are looking for a reputable estate planning or probate attorney, Yucca Valley, CA, you might want to include the Ficara Law Office into your list of prospects.
For inquiries, call us at (760) 365-7000.
