Top Estate Planning Attorney Robert Brumfield Reveals Why Your Heirs Could End Up In Probate Court – Bakersfield, CA

Leading estate planning attorney Robert H. Brumfield, founder of the Law Offices of Robert H. Brumfield, P.C. in Bakersfield, CA, explains how Wills don’t provide protection for family members during unexpected life events. For more information please visit https://www.brumfieldlawgroup.com

Bakersfield, CA, United States – December 27, 2020 /MM-REB/ —

In a recent podcast episode, leading estate planning attorney Robert H. Brumfield, founder of the Law Offices of Robert H. Brumfield, P.C. in Bakersfield, CA, explained how only having a Will does not provide adequate protection for family members or loved ones during an unexpected life event.

For more information please visit https://www.brumfieldlawgroup.com

When asked to comment, he said, “A lot of this hardship comes up when people try to cut corners in setting up an estate plan and go online to set up a Will. The Will itself is better than nothing, but what you’re doing is guaranteeing that your heirs will have to open up a probate case, which generally takes a year and a half to two years from start to finish in California.”

Many people have the preconceived notion, according to Brumfield, that having a Will as an estate plan is enough. However, Wills fail to provide provisions in case someone is incapacitated during life. Not having certain documents such as a healthcare directive is damaging in case of a major life event.

“California laws allow you to have a healthcare directive, which is a straightforward document that has important provisions as to who gets to make medical decisions. If there is no healthcare directive in place, then you technically cannot assist the injured person with their care, and you cannot access their medical records due to privacy laws,” he commented.

If there is no healthcare directive in place, Brumfield pointed out that going to court is often necessary to get permission to make medical decisions on someone’s behalf.

Another crucial document not covered by Wills is a durable power of attorney for financial management.

“This can be a very important document. If a person is sick or injured with a slow, debilitating illness, they really can’t manage their financial affairs. If they don’t have a power of attorney, then you don’t have the legal authority to do certain things such as contact a credit card company or contact a mortgage company to work out different arrangements, manage their affairs at the bank, among others.”

An excellent way to avoid these hardships is through preparing a ‘Lockbox’, which contains healthcare directives, the financial power of attorney, as well as a Trust.

When asked to elaborate, Brumfield said, “When all these documents are put in a ‘Lockbox’, they’re all in one place. And it’s always nice for your heirs or successor trustees to know that everything they need to know is all in one box, and we’re there to answer their questions.”

Furthermore, according to Brumfield, having a ‘Lockbox’ in place helps avoid family conflicts, which often arise without a well-thought-out estate plan.

“If you don’t let people know what you want to do and why you want to do it, it can certainly cause unnecessary arguments. While certain arguments are inevitable, having a ‘Living Lockbox’ minimizes them.”

Source: http://RecommendedExperts.biz

Contact Info:
Name: Robert H Brumfield
Email: Send Email
Organization: Law Offices of Robert H. Brumfield, P.C.
Address: 1810 Westwind Drive, Suite 100, Bakersfield, CA 93301
Phone: (661) 416-3735
Website: https://www.brumfieldlawgroup.com

Source: MM-REB

Release ID: 88990619