» Probate

Handling a Loved One’s Debts After They Die Americans are, quite literally, getting buried in debt, with nearly half expecting to pass away with outstanding debts.[1] As a general rule, a person’s debts do not go away when they die. Some types of… Read More

Michael Jackson’s Estate Sells Music to Sony for $600M Michael Jackson passed away in 2009, but the settling of his estate continues more than 15 years after his death due to a lingering tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and other… Read More

Reflecting on 2024 and Looking Ahead A message from firm President Jason Wagner As we welcome 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible year we’ve had at Wagner Oehler and share a vision for where we’re headed in the year ahead.… Read More

Caution: Using a DIY Deed to Avoid Probate Can Lead to Unintended Consequences One common way to avoid the probate requirement for real estate after the owner dies is to add children or other individuals to the property title as joint owners with rig… Read More

Have You Checked Your Beneficiary Designations Lately? You regularly check the balances of your retirement, bank, and investment accounts. But when was the last time you checked the beneficiary designations on these accounts (and really, all the othe… Read More

Demystifying Probate and the Executor’s Role When creating a last will and testament (commonly known as a will), one of your most important considerations is who to choose to serve as the executor (also called a personal representative) of your est… Read More

Estate Planning Is About Knowing Your Priorities Thinking about the world and how our loved ones will fare after we pass away can be very difficult. Although we all know that we will pass away at some point, this is not something most people like to… Read More

Estate Administration Details that TV and Movies Get Wrong While television and movies provide great entertainment, they are not always factual. Even shows based on real events are not entirely accurate. Creators of television programs and movies wil… Read More