Category Archives: Estate Planning
What Happens to Your Pet When You Are Gone? Georgia’s Pet Trust Law Explained
Who will feed the cat at 6 a.m. if you cannot? It is a question that catches most estate planning clients off guard, mostly because pets rarely make it onto the standard checklist of wills, beneficiaries, and powers of attorney. Yet for many Georgia families, a dog or cat is as central to daily… Read More »
Your Rental Property Is a Business. Does Your Estate Plan Treat It Like One?
If you own a rental property, you already manage leases, tenants, repairs, and a mortgage or two. That is, functionally, a small business. So why does the estate plan protecting it so often consist of a will written years ago that never mentions the property at all? That gap deserves more attention than it… Read More »
Deportation Does Not Mean You Have to Lose Your Home
If you are undocumented or concerned about deportation, you may be worried about what will happen to your home and other property if you are forced to leave the United States. Being deported, by itself, does not mean you lose your house. You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to own real… Read More »
Georgia Transfer-on-Death Deeds: Important Changes to the Law in 2026
Georgia’s Transfer-on-Death Deed law is still relatively new, and the Georgia Legislature has already made significant changes to it. Transfer-on-Death Deeds, commonly called TOD Deeds, became formally available in Georgia on July 1, 2024, under O.C.G.A. § 44-17-1 et seq. A TOD Deed allows a property owner to designate one or more beneficiaries to… Read More »
Could Someone Be Quietly Draining a Parent’s Savings?
If your aging parent suddenly seems anxious about money, or a new friend has become unusually involved in their finances, would you know what to look for? Financial exploitation of older adults rarely announces itself. It tends to creep in gradually, often disguised as help, friendship, or even family loyalty. For families in Georgia,… Read More »
Legal Planning for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care: What Every Georgia Family Should Know
Have you ever wondered what happens to a loved one’s finances or medical decisions once a dementia diagnosis takes away their ability to manage those things alone? For many Georgia families, this question arrives suddenly, often in the middle of a hospital visit or a hard conversation with a doctor. Planning ahead, before a… Read More »
How Long Term Care Costs Are Quietly Reshaping Family Finances Across Georgia
What would it mean for your family’s finances if a parent needed a year, or several years, of nursing home care? It is a question many Georgia families are only asking after the need has already arrived, and by then, the financial pressure has already begun. The Numbers Behind the Question Long-term care in… Read More »
Should You Add Your Child to the Deed to Your Home?
Is it a good idea to put your son or daughter on the title to your house? It seems like a simple way to avoid probate and keep the property in the family, but is it really that straightforward? Many homeowners in Georgia consider this move without fully understanding what it does to their… Read More »
How Georgia Real Estate Transfers After Death
What happens to your home when you pass away? It is one of the most common questions families face after losing a loved one, and the answer depends almost entirely on how that property was titled and what estate planning was done beforehand. Georgia law offers several paths for real estate to pass from… Read More »
How Rising Long-Term Care Costs Are Changing Estate Planning
Have you thought about what would happen to your savings if you needed to spend a year or two in a nursing home? For many families, that question reveals a gap in their estate planning that can be costly to ignore. Long-term care expenses have been climbing steadily for years, and they are now… Read More »