Divorce and the Special Needs Child

A divorce is multifaceted. Therefore, if you are able to move towards a collaborative divorce, it could provide the best alternative to look at all aspects of your life and divorce. Specifically, in addition to divorce attorneys, financial advisors, mental health professionals, you want to make sure an estate planning attorney is involved.

A Special Needs Child will still require the emotional and financial support of both parents, even more so after the divorce. You can handle the emotional side with the help of mental health professionals. A Special Needs Trust could serve to address handling financial needs. You do not want the divorce to affect any public benefits currently available to your child. A neutral party could serve as the trustee and make sure those supplemental needs that you might want for your child are addressed.

We can help you. Contact us a www.ythlaw.com for your estate planning, probate and elder law needs.

Is Your Ex-spouse still a Named Beneficiary Under Your Insurance Policy?

A client called to ask me a question for one of her customers. The customer's ex-wife died. They had been divorced for several years and, as of the date of her death, the children were still minors. The ex-husband "alleged" that it was his ex-wife's intent not to change her life insurance policy. However, the insurance company refused to issue the $250,000 death benefits to the ex-husband.

The question asked was whether the insurance company was correct in not releasing the check to the ex-husband. Well, I pondered the question. The policy is a contract between the insurance company and the insured, now deceased. She named her beneficiary and never changed it even well after the divorce. However, you have to also consider case law and any statutes that might change the basic contract analysis.

ANSWER: The Ex does NOT get the $250,000.
STATUTE: A statute in PA provides that if an ex-spouse is still named as a beneficiary under a life insurance policy upon the death of the other ex-spouse then such ex-spouse will not be entitled to the death benefits. There would have to be CLEAR intent (ie. provided in the divorce decree) that the deceased person intended for the ex-spouse to receive such death benefits.

Call us at www.ythlaw.com for all your probate, estate planning and elder law needs.

Divorce - When Should I update My Powers of Attorney

Another estate planning matter that must be addressed at the time of divorce is your powers of attorney.

(1) If you have powers of attorney naming each other as agents, then 9 times out of 10 you do not want your ex-spouse to handle your affairs when you are incapacitated.

(2) If you do not have any powers of attorney, it is even more important to get them done.

You need to appoint someone to handle your financial affairs (paying bills, dealing with the bank, etc.) when you are unable to do these things yourself. You also want someone to be able to talk with doctors or review your medical information when you are unable to address medical situations yourself.

Don't let a divorce just happen to you. Take a collaborative approach that helps you address the financial, emotional and more importantly those estate planning issues that could get overlooked and lead to real complications. Contact us at www.ythlaw.com for estate planning, probate and elder law needs.

Collaborative Divorce - Can We Change our Irrevocable Trust

At the time of divorce, an additional estate planning matter to consider would be modifying or terminating any trusts that you may have in place. At this time, I am addressing the Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust. Sometimes referred as the ILIT.

One would think that you can not change an Irrevocable Trust. However, there are opportunities to not only change the trust but also to terminate it. When I draft my ILITs for clients, I do provide for a divorce contingency so that by the terms of the trust changes are made as a result of a divorce. However, if your trust does not provide a divorce contingency, there are options available under the law. Under defined circumstances, the irrevocable trust can be terminated. At the time of divorce is the opportune time to address these legal issues. It will save time and expense.

Contact us at www.ythlaw.com for your probate, estate plannind and elder law matters.

Collaborative Divorce and Estate Planning

There are so many issues that you must consider if or when you are going through a divorce. What about the children? Where will I live? How will the assets be allocated? In a collaborative divorce, couples seek divorce without going through litigation. Collaborative divorce is more comprehensive then the mediation alternative to litigation. It can serve to help you look at the financial and emotional aspects of divorce. In addition, from my perspective, it is an opportunity to consider the many estate planning issues. Over the next few days, I will discuss those issues and how they can best be addressed for your situation.

Who will be the guardain of my minor children? This is a difficult enough question when couples are together. It becomes even more problematic during a divorce. Either parent would have full custody of minor children when the other parent dies unless parental rights have been terminated or modified as part of the divorce settlement. It would be wise to revisit guardians that you may have appointed under your prior Wills and determine whether there is still agreement. During the collabrative process, you want to make sure you address matters relevant to the guardian of your minor children.

Contact our offices at www.ythlaw.com for more information on probate, estate planning and elder law.