trusts, inheritances & estates

ab intestato

Ab intestato is a Latin term meaning "by intestacy." The term refers to laws governing the succession of property after the previous owner of the property dies without a valid will.

[Last updated in June of 2022 by the Wex...

AB Trust

AB trust (also called a bypass trust or a credit shelter trust) is a tool used by well-off married individuals to legally maximize their estate tax exemptions.

The strategy involves creating two separate trusts after one...

abandon

Abandon refers to the act of abandonment. A party can “abandon” in multiple fields of law and abandoning generally, though not always, involves voluntarily giving up a right.

See abandonment for more information.

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abatement

Abatement is the act of reducing or nullifying something. Multiple subjects throughout law are subject to abatement and the term appears in many locations.

In property law, abatement refers to a reduction in property taxes a...

absolute

Absolute is used commonly in property law and in divorce law meaning final or without limitations.

Property: Absolute is used in property law to describe an estate that is free from any limitations. Only a fee simple may be...

abstract

Abstract refers to an abbreviated history of an official record. Some common usages of the term “abstract” in a legal sense include:

“Abstract of title” merely recites what the land records disclose without giving opinion or advice...

abstract of trust

Abstract of trust is a brief version of the trust document that allows certain details of the trust (such as the names of the beneficiaries) that you want to keep confidential to be omitted. It is often used to provide proof of trust...

accession

Accession is prominent in two legal practice areas; trusts and estates, and secured transactions.

Accession in trusts and estates law are assets produced by a devised asset after the execution of a will. For example, ordinary...

accretion

Accretion, in law, usually refers to the slow addition of land next to water due to the water’s movement or the increase of beneficiary’s share of a trust due to the actions of another beneficiary.

Accretion from natural...

accumulation trust

Accumulation trust is a type of see-through trust that allows withdrawals to be made or kept within the trust. See-through trusts are established by people with individual retirement accounts (IRA) so that the assets in their IRAs are...

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