In this video, our Des Moines will contest attorneys explain how a will determines how an individual’s estate and assets will be divided amongst family members and other heirs upon their passing. But in some cases, a will can be challenged or contested in Iowa if there are reasons to doubt its authenticity. A will​ cannot be contested simply because an heir or potential heir does not agree with its terms.

In this video, our Des Moines will contest attorneys explain how an interested party in a will contest is someone who has actually been harmed as the result of a will or a modification of a will. Unfortunately, simply being left out of a will doesn’t necessarily make someone an interested party (unless two versions of a will exist with one splitting the estate between beneficiaries and another giving everything to one beneficiary). A will challenge hinges on the ability of the person contesting the will to prove that a will is invalid due to reasons such as fraud, forgery, compulsion, etc. The Will Challenge Petition must be completed with care and with thoughts to future arguments during the court hearing.

In this video, our Des Moines will contest attorneys to explain how a trust is a legally binding arrangement between three parties where a trustor grants a trustee permission to hold assets on behalf of a beneficiary. Trusts can help an estate avoid probate, allow a trustor to have greater control over how their assets are distributed after they pass, and in some situations, limit estate taxes. There are several types of trusts, including:

• Charitable trusts
• Living trusts
• Spendthrift trusts
• Totten trusts

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