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