It is generally acknowledged, and a lot of people learn from experience, that during a divorce, people may focus mainly on their children and their financial assets. What divorcing couples may not be thinking about, but perhaps should be, is how divorce will impact the futures of your loved ones–even after you’ve died. That’s why I believe that the time to consider making legal changes to a will, or trust, or other testamentary document, should follow your careful consideration to file for a divorce. Because these vital documents also affect people’s lives going forward – just like a divorce does.
It isn’t a “given” that every married person has named his/her spouse in every aspect of a will. Also, it isn’t necessarily true that divorcing spouses will want to remove their ex-spouse from a will or trust. Somewhere in between, however, exists the possibility that you may want to change some important legal designations of the people you want to undertake certain responsibilities during your lifetime, or after your death. Here are just a few examples of things that, following a divorce, you may want to consider changing.
- Designated Guardians: temporary, permanent, for your children, of the person, of the estate
- Designated Trustees for bypass trusts, living trusts, etc.
- Power(s) of Attorney
- Designated Executors of the Estate
- Beneficiaries named in wills and/or trusts (taking into account that Arizona is a community property state)
At Zachary Law Group, we offer estate planning services from experienced attorneys. We also handle family law issues such as divorce. So if you are dealing with either, or both, of these landmark life events, please turn to us for help and guidance. Change can be difficult enough without adding uncertainty to the mix, and we are here to answer your questions and represent your interests to the best of our abilities. We offer a FREE 30-minute case evaluation, and together we’ll map out solutions to your legal issues. We take each challenge and “Zach-It!” So when you are ready to move forward, just give us a call at 1-855-Zach-law.
