Ryan Wilson

It’s always good to have a plan for whatever you’re going to do.  And as Ben Franklin famously said, nothing is sure but death and taxes.  Most of us don’t know when we might die.  It’s better to have an estate plan and not need it anytime soon than not to have one if you do need one.  There are many good reasons to prepare an estate plan.  Here are my top five.

Did you know that Montgomery County, Maryland has a Commission on Aging?  In Fact, it does.  The Commission on Aging (COA) was established by Montgomery County in 1974, under a requirement of the federal Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended in 1973.  Members are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council.  COA advises County government on the needs, interests, and issues of older adult residents.  It also advocates on behalf of those residents at the […]

One of the questions I hear most often is “What can my attorney do for me?”  The answers are numerous, and they depend on your situation.  There are some general answers that apply.  Whether you are starting a business or caring for an aging loved one, your attorney is there to guide you.  Here are four ways your attorney can make your situation better. Give Expert Advice – Your situation is different from everyone else’s – it is unique to […]

Our pets are part of our families.  One of the harder parts about having a pet is that they usually don’t live as long as we do.  But what happens to our pets if they outlive us?  Luckily, Maryland law allows you to set up a trust for the care of your pet, and you can set up a trust for your pet as part of your estate plan.  When setting up a trust to care for a pet, you […]

I get this question a lot when people learn that I practice estate planning.  The answer is always it depends.  Whether a trust is an essential – or even a useful – part of your estate plan depends on your estate planning needs and wants.  Both a trust and a will allow you to name the beneficiaries of your assets.  Trusts can meet several needs as part of a comprehensive estate plan, and people use one or more trusts as […]

As I have mentioned before, I am a member of the Montgomery County Commission on Aging, and I co-chair the Commission’s Public Policy Committee.  The Commission released its 2018 Annual Report earlier this spring.  As the report summarizes, the Commission participated in a variety of activities during 2018, including studying the changing demographics of older adults in Montgomery County and holding a forum on diversity in the County’s older population.  The Commission held regular monthly meetings, where it heard presentations […]

Simply put, probate is the process of transferring property after the person who owned it has passed away.  Generally, you must go through probate to transfer property from the deceased to the person who is going to receive it.  Probate is also when the debts of the deceased, if any, are paid.  The process is sometimes called estate administration, but it is more commonly known as probate.  You probate the estate according to the will, following the will’s direction as […]

What is probate?  As a probate attorney in Silver Spring, I hear this question a lot.  Simply put, probate is the process of transferring property after the person who owned it has passed away.  Generally, you must go through probate to transfer property from the deceased, known as the decedent, to the persons who will be receive the property.  Probate is also when the debts of the decedent, if any, are paid.  The process is sometimes called estate administration, but […]