Estate planning information for Michigan individuals and families
Free articles and guides to help you understand wills, trusts, probate, and powers of attorney before your consultation.
Articles and guides on Michigan estate planning
These articles are for educational purposes only and do not replace legal advice from an attorney.
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Showing 15 resources
Wills & Trusts
The two documents most estate plans are built around, and how to make them work.
Wills vs. Trusts
Understand the difference between a last will and testament and a revocable living trust, and when each makes sense for your family.
Read guideFunding Your Living Trust
An unfunded trust does nothing. How to retitle a home, bank accounts, investments and business interests into your trust.
Read guideEstate Planning Glossary
Plain-English definitions of common terms like pour-over will, beneficiary deed, trust funding, and personal property memorandum.
Read guideDo I Need a Will in Michigan?
Who actually needs a will, what it does and does not control, and why beneficiary forms often override it.
Read guideDying Without a Will in Michigan
How intestate succession divides an estate, and why a surviving spouse rarely inherits everything.
Read guideChoosing a Trustee or Personal Representative
How to pick the people who will be in charge; and the well-meaning choices that cause family conflict.
Read guideWhen to Update Your Estate Plan
The life events that make a will, trust or power of attorney out of date, and how to review an old plan.
Read guideRevocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts
One keeps you in control; the other trades control for protection. Which one Michigan families actually need.
Read guideWhat an Estate Plan Costs
What drives the price of a Michigan will or trust, why flat fees beat hourly billing, and how it compares to probate.
Read guideDigital Assets in Your Plan
Email, photos, crypto and online accounts; how Michigan's fiduciary access law works and how to give your family lawful access.
Read guideJoint vs. Separate Trusts
How Michigan couples can choose between one shared trust and separate trusts based on ownership, family structure, and control.
Read guideWhat Is a Pour-Over Will?
How a pour-over will supports a living trust, what it catches, and why it may still require probate.
Read guideWhat a Living Trust Costs
What drives the price of a Michigan trust-based plan, what a complete flat fee should include, and how it compares to probate.
Read guideAttorney vs. LegalZoom or DIY
Where online will and trust services work, where they quietly fail, and which situations should never be done from a form.
Read guideAmending or Restating a Trust
When a limited amendment works, when a full restatement is clearer, and how to keep trust funding coordinated.
Read guideProbate
What happens in probate court, what it costs, and the tools that keep an estate out of it.
New articles coming soon
Guides on what Michigan probate involves, how long it takes, small estates, personal representative duties and selling a house during probate are being prepared and will be published here shortly.
Powers of Attorney
The documents that let the people you choose act for you while you are still alive.
New articles coming soon
Guides on financial and medical powers of attorney, HIPAA authorizations, choosing an agent and guardianship are being prepared and will be published here shortly.
Family Situations
Guides for the situations that change the plan: blended families, minor children, unmarried couples, aging parents, business owners and Michigan snowbirds.
New articles coming soon
Guides for blended families, parents of minor children, unmarried couples, aging parents, business owners, Michigan snowbirds and cottage succession are being prepared and will be published here shortly.
Where a Michigan estate is opened
Addresses, hours, filing methods and fees for the probate courts Southeast Michigan families deal with most.
Wayne County Probate Court
Detroit courthouse address, filing hours and what opening an estate involves for Wayne County families.
View court infoOakland County Probate Court
The Pontiac courthouse, required MiFILE e-filing, estate fees and what to expect.
View court infoMacomb County Probate Court
The Mt. Clemens courthouse, counter hours and filing cutoffs for Macomb County estates.
View court infoWashtenaw County Probate Court
The Ann Arbor courthouse, in-person and mail filing, fees and the informal estate package.
View court infoLivingston County Probate Court
The Howell Judicial Center, how filings are accepted, and formal versus informal estates.
View court infoGenesee County Probate Court
The Flint courthouse on S. Saginaw Street, counter hours and opening an estate.
View court infoEstate planning across Southeast Michigan
Your attorney works with families throughout Michigan. These pages cover the counties where most of our families live and what planning looks like in each.
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