Show Your Love

What better way to show your love and celebrate Valentine’s Day than to create your estate plan to make things easier on your loved ones? In last week’s blog we shared some theories as to why people put off this important task. However, even with our society’s fear of discussions on incapacity and death, these should be dealt with similarly to preparing for a birth or other life-changing event.

Some of you may have occupied your time during the pandemic watching Tik Tok dance videos of Stephen Boss “Twitch” and his wife, Allison. Others may be familiar with him from being a regular on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Several months ago, Twitch died suddenly without a will forcing Allison to go through a more tedious legal process during her time of grief. His love for his family shines through in many of his videos and we are left saddened that he didn’t take this extra step to make his death smoother for his family.

Dying without a will

In Georgia, dying without a will (intestate) can cause big problems. Georgia law will determine how your assets will be distributed. A petition for administration must be submitted to the probate court and an administrator will be appointed. This can be contentious in some families. During this process your assets may be frozen causing more obstacles for your family.

After the administrator is approved, they must begin the tedious process of collecting assets, paying debts, and eventually distributing the assets.

Unfortunately, dying without a will means you don’t get to decide what happens to your estate. Georgia rules of inheritance will dictate distribution.  Blended families, estranged children and other situation often make this distribution less than ideal for many families.

Georgia Rules of Inheritance

Forget the candy and heart shaped balloons today. Instead, give one of the greatest gifts of all… peace and love to your family. Call Hurley Elder Care Law at 404-843-0121 to schedule a meeting with our experienced elder law attorneys.