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By: Michael Fiffik, Esquire Quick Answer In Pennsylvania, the best places to store your original will are: (1) with your estate planning attorney, or (2) in a quality fireproof safe at home — provided your executor knows exactly where it is and how to access it. Do not rely solely on a bank safe deposit box, as Pennsylvania law can make it difficult for your executor to access the box after your death without already having the will in hand. So you've done the responsible thi

Every week, Pennsylvania homeowners call our office with the same request: "I want to put my child's name on the deed to my house." The motivation is almost always the same — they want to avoid Pennsylvania's inheritance tax, skip the probate process, or simply make sure the house passes to their child without legal complications. These are reasonable goals. But there is a consequence most people never see coming — one that can cost their child tens of thousands of dollars in

A prenuptial agreement defines your rights, but it does not make them happen. In Pennsylvania, a prenup alone cannot transfer property at death or grant medical authority during incapacity. To ensure your prenuptial agreement is enforceable and functional, you must pair it with a Last Will and Testament, a Financial Power of Attorney, and a Healthcare Power of Attorney. Without these documents, your estate may face costly litigation or "intestacy" rules that contradict your p

When a loved one passes away, there is an enormous amount to manage — funeral arrangements, notifying family and friends, handling financial accounts, and beginning the probate process. What most families don't realize, at least not until it's too late, is that a separate crisis may be quietly unfolding online. Deceased individuals' digital accounts — email, social media, online banking portals, subscription services, and more — often sit idle for weeks or months before anyon

Part 1 | Powers of Appointment in Pennsylvania Estate Plans: What They Are and How They Work Part 2 | The Overlooked-Holder Problem and Pennsylvania Law Part 3 | What Holders Need to Consider — and Next Steps for Everyone In Parts One and Two of this series, we covered what powers of appointment are, how Pennsylvania law governs them, and why so many holders never learn they have one. In this final installment, we address the holder's perspective directly: if you hold a power

Part 1 | Powers of Appointment in Pennsylvania Estate Plans: What They Are and How They Work Part 2 | The Overlooked-Holder Problem and Pennsylvania Law Part 3 | What Holders Need to Consider — and Next Steps for Everyone In Part One of this series, we introduced powers of appointment — what they are, how they are classified, and how Pennsylvania estate planning attorneys use them to build flexibility into wills and trusts. In this installment, we turn to a problem that arise

Part 1 | Powers of Appointment in Pennsylvania Estate Plans: What They Are and How They Work Part 2 | The Overlooked-Holder Problem and Pennsylvania Law Part 3 | What Holders Need to Consider — and Next Steps for Everyone Few provisions in Pennsylvania estate planning are at once so powerful and so poorly understood as the power of appointment. Attorneys draft them into wills and trusts every day. Families sign documents containing them without fully grasping what they mean.

Key Takeaway In Pennsylvania, when someone dies without a will (intestate), the law dictates who can serve as the estate's administrator. Typically, the surviving spouse has priority, followed by adult children, parents, and then other relatives. These individuals must be competent and willing to serve. It sounds logical but there are a host of problems that often arise. Who Has the Legal Right to Administer an Estate If There Is No Will in Pennsylvania? Pennsylvania law ou

Fiffik Law Group guides Pennsylvania families through the difficult and confusing estate planning process. After you have lost a loved one, thinking about navigating the complexities of estate administration can be daunting. Where do you start? What documents do you need, which forms must be completed and how much will it cost? At the initial meeting with a family, we stress the importance of adhering to deadlines in the probate process. Missing deadlines can lead to financ

Navigating the complexities of estate administration can be challenging, especially when family dynamics are involved. A common issue arises when a sibling continues to reside in the deceased parent's home after their passing. Here we will address the legal ramifications and potential solutions under Pennsylvania law. When a parent passes away in Pennsylvania and a sibling continues living in the family home, that sibling does not automatically have the right to stay unless

As parents, we spend countless hours planning for our children's present – their education, their health, their happiness. Our plans and aspirations for our children while they’re growing up are often fairly detailed. What kind of education should they have? Sports and other activities? Should they have a job in their teen years? We also have our eye on caring for them in the future. We work hard to save something that we can pass on to them as a legacy in the future. Our vi

As Pennsylvania probate and trust administration attorneys, we often work with families who are navigating the complexities of the probate process. While many executors step into the role with the best of intentions, sometimes without the assistance of an experienced attorney, the complexities of the probate process often prove to be a stumbling block for them. We frequently see administrations stall or lead to litigation because of avoidable errors. Whether you are an exec