What Legal Documents Do I Need?

John and Andrew recently sat down with local estate planning attorney, Allie Bohannon with Howard Mobley Hayes & Gontarek, PLLC. We discussed the main documents to consider for your estate plan and some more detailed questions we have received in the past. Are handwritten wills valid? Does my child need a power of attorney? Do I have to have an attorney in the probate process? Should I discuss my estate plan with my family? These questions plus many more are addressed during our conversation. Below is a more detailed list of topics and questions covered and their corresponding time in the video.

1:50 – What is an estate plan?
2:58 – What are the main documents in an estate plan?
5:52 – What roles are in your legal documents? 11:10 – Where should I keep my original documents?
14:17 – Asset titling and beneficiary designations 18:48 – Does everyone need legal documents?
20:15 – What if I die without a will?
21:19 – Guardian for children 22:40 – Are handwritten wills valid?
26:24 – Online legal documents 26:49 – What happens if my estate only has debt?
30:07 – Tennessee probate 31:50 – Do I have to work with an attorney in probate?
33:00 – Wills are public records
34:09 – Revocable Trusts
39:38 – Costs of administering an estate in Davidson County
41:00 – Irrevocable trusts
42:40 – Estate tax exemption
44:53 – Estate tax portability
46:30 – Trust distributions for children/minors
49:30 – Gifting strategies
55:05 – Coordinating legal documents with beneficiary listings
58:00 – Per stirpes vs. per capita
59:40 – Miscellaneous questions
1:00:25 – How to discuss your estate plan with your family
1:02:15 – How to stay organized
1:05:02 – Planning for digital assets
1:06:55 – What if I move to a different state after doing my estate plan?
1:08:36 – Estate planning for unmarried couples

By Andrew Quinn Published On: July 31, 2023