Quick Answer A basic Georgia estate plan usually rests on several key documents and beneficiary designations. Those are a will, a financial power of attorney, and a Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care. Add current beneficiary designations and a named guardian if...
A practical approach for many Georgia families is to review their estate plan every three to five years. You should also review it soon after a major life event such as marriage, divorce, a new child, a move, or a big change in assets. Georgia law can change the...
Many parents assume a will is enough to protect their young adult child, but a will only controls what happens after death. It does not give you the legal authority to step in if your adult child is injured, becomes incapacitated, or needs help with medical or...
Your child just turned 18 and is packing for college. In the eyes of Georgia law, they are now adults. That means you, as the parent, lose the automatic right to step in during a medical or financial emergency. This guide walks through the four legal documents every...
There’s one crucial thing many parents miss when move-in day arrives: the moment your child turns 18, the law stops treating you as the decision-maker. If your son or daughter is starting college in another state, one question matters more than people expect. Will the...
A healthcare proxy is a document that names someone to make medical decisions for you when you cannot speak for yourself. Georgia’s version of this document is called an Advance Directive for Health Care, and the person being authorized is called the health care...
Settling an estate in Georgia means guiding a deceased person's property through the probate court system. You'll need to file paperwork with the local probate court, notify heirs and creditors, gather assets, pay debts, and distribute what remains to beneficiaries....
You typically need probate on a house in Georgia when the property was titled solely in the deceased person's name. Probate gives a personal representative the legal authority to transfer the home's title to heirs or beneficiaries. If the property was owned jointly...
No, bank accounts with properly named beneficiaries typically don't go through probate in Georgia. When you designate a payable-on-death (POD) beneficiary on a bank account, that person can claim the funds directly from the bank after your death. The account passes...
When someone dies without a will in Georgia, their estate goes through probate, and Georgia’s intestate succession rules govern who inherits. The probate court appoints an administrator to gather assets, pay debts, and distribute property to heirs according to...
