Probate
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Why a Will is a Guaranteed Court Date (and How to Avoid It)
Learn why a Will guarantees probate and how a Revocable Living Trust keeps your estate private and out of court in North Carolina.
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Freedom from Probate: Avoiding Probate with a Living Trust to Liberate Your Loved Ones
Learn about avoiding probate with a living trust. Discover how trust-based estate planning helps NC families protect their legacy.
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Avoid These Top 10 North Carolina Probate Mistakes
Probate is the court-supervised legal process for settling a person’s estate after death. In North Carolina, this includes managing assets, settling debts, and distributing property according to the Will. While it sounds straightforward, the process can quickly become overwhelming—especially for Executors unfamiliar with their responsibilities. At Clarity Legal Group, we regularly help clients navigate probate…
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Can You Decline to Serve as Executor in North Carolina?
After the loss of a loved one, we sometimes meet with individuals who have been named as the “Executor” in a Will. This role carries great responsibility. The Executor is tasked with managing the estate of the person who has passed away, following the directions in their Will. It’s a position of trust that often…
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5 Things an Heir Should Know About Probate and Inheritance in North Carolina
Losing a loved one is never easy. Along with the emotional toll, you may also need to navigate the legal and financial responsibilities of administering their estate. If you’re an heir in North Carolina, it’s important to understand what to expect. Here are 5 things you should know about probate and inheritance in North Carolina.…
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The Importance of Beneficiary Designations in Estate Planning
When it comes to estate planning, most people focus on creating a will or setting up a trust. And with good reason—these are crucial elements of any estate plan. Beneficiary designations are an equally essential—and often overlooked—part of a comprehensive plan. Properly designating beneficiaries can ensure that your assets are passed to your loved ones…
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How to File a Creditor Claim in North Carolina: A Guide to Recovering Debt from an Estate
At Clarity Legal Group, we often counsel clients who are owed money by someone who has recently passed away. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be wondering how to recover your debt from the decedent’s estate. This typically involves filing a creditor claim in North Carolina during the probate process. Here’s what…
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North Carolina Probate Checklist
I frequently have clients who recently lost a loved one and who find themselves in the position of needing to oversee the administration of the decedent’s estate. Handling the probate of an estate while simultaneously grieving the loss of a loved one can be difficult. I strongly urge my clients to work with an experienced…
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How Do I Know If I Need to Probate My Mother’s Estate?
The loss of a parent, at any age, is not an easy thing to go through. If you are an adult child at the time, your grief may need to be reined in if you are also responsible for administering your mother’s estate. One of the first decisions you must make is whether your mother’s…
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5 Things You Need to Do Immediately If You Are the Executor
The time period immediately following the loss of a loved one is often filled with heightened emotions and confusion. Understandably, the last thing most people want to think about during this time period are the legal ramifications of the decedent’s death. If, however, the decedent named you as the Executor of the estate in his…
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Why an Executor Should Hire a Probate Lawyer
My most recent posts have focused on the importance of probate avoidance and what approaches might best accomplish this important estate planning goal. Of course, a lot of people don’t get to this step of planning, and some people establish a probate avoidance plan and the plan falls out of sync or something unexpected arises…
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What are Some of the Different Ways to Avoid Probate?
I talked in my last blog about the reasons you should consider probate avoidance as part of your estate planning. Today I am going to review some of the dos and don’ts of putting a probate avoidance plan into place. If you are interested in finding ways to avoid probate, the good news is that…
Free Estate Planning Worksheet
There’s a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you’ll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.