Estate Planning

One thing in life is certain and that's death. Here's a little video of 15 folks who perished in some very strange ways to say the least.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJk_4Jy1Aw

​Hopefully none of these very odd deaths awaits any of us, but it's a good reminder of why having a well drafted estate plan in place is so important.

If you've been... Read More

Yes Millennials, even you folks need to start thinking about estate planning. Here's a great article from the Denver Post about why it's so important to start early when it comes to implementing a well drafted estate plan. This is an especially important consideration for all those families out there with very young children and no succession plan whatsoever in place. Take... Read More

Seven common sense reasons why we should all have a Last Will and Testament. Take a look, I think you'll find these reasons eye opening and pretty compelling.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2016/05/06/snoop-dogg-admits-he-doesnt-have-a-will-7-reasons-he-and-you-should-reconsider/#1f5904cd15ae

At American Wills & Estates we've been representing and assisting clients in Pittsburgh and throughout Western Pennsylvania with competency, compassion and care for over 25 years. So what really sets us apart from the rest?

• Our practice is focused exclusively on Estate Planning... Read More

We hear it every day, "I'm not worried about estate planning, I don't have that much to leave to my children anyway." Don't make that mistake.

Proper estate planning involves much more than simply determining what you're going to leave to your children or other heirs. If you've been procrastinating about putting an estate plan in place, then you might want to take a... Read More

So you've already done your estate planning and you're now good to go, right? Wrong. Even if you already have Wills, Power of Attorneys, Living Wills or even a Trust in place, don't just put everything aside and forget about it.

Like everything in life, changes happen. Because of that, we tell all of our clients that it's a very good idea to take a look at their... Read More

If you're concerned that one or more of your children or other intended heirs might try to challenge the provisions that you have set forth in your Last Will and Testament, you can have a no-contest clause added in the Will, but make sure you understand what it means and whether or not it's actually enforceable. Here's an article that I came across that does a nice job of... Read More

How do I avoid Probate? As you might imagine, that's a question that we are repeatedly asked when setting up estate plans for our clients. While there is no perfect answer to that question, there certainly are steps that can be taken to either avoid the probate process entirely or, at the very least, minimize the impact that it might have on your family after your death.... Read More

To be sure, estate planning can be a rather dry and uninviting subject. However, when related to a late celebrity and the mistakes they may have made, it often becomes much more interesting. Here's a piece on the James Dean estate battles that arose after his death.

Don't be a rebel without a cause, take steps today to protect your family and your hard earned legacy... Read More

One problem that I've seen over and over again in my last 25 years of practicing estate planning law, is the unfunded or underfunded Revocable Living Trust. What do I mean by this? Well, time and again I've met with a client who comes into my office with their late parent's fancy and impressive looking living trust documents only to find out that there were little or no... Read More