Routine changes and updates to our laws are only one reason you should be reviewing your estate plans regularly with your attorney. There are numerous ways an estate plan can fail without regular ‘maintenance’ checks:
Tag Archives | estate planning
Make Sure Your Will is Not ‘Mad-Libbed’
The proliferation of online estate planning tools may give you the sense that your will consists of a whole list of blank spaces, into which your attorney inserts names of your choosing, and out spew your legal documents. Like a fancy, binding game of Mad Libs. The reality is – your will, and the process […]
Goals First, Solutions Second
Estate planning is not a one-size-fits-all exercise. It’s not even a one-size-fits-most. This is how most people think estate planning goes: You meet with an attorney. They take an inventory of your family and your stuff. They hand you a big pile of documents based upon your inventory. Then they send you the bill. No […]
How Long Has it Been Since You…
The challenge with family legal planning, or estate planning as they call it, is that it relies on a plan that protects your family at an unknown time, under unknown laws, utilizing unknown assets for an unknown family situation to accomplish unknown goals. And while we don’t know when you’ll need it, we know your […]
When Your Trust Owns Your Home: What Happens Next
So, you’ve set up a trust because you want to keep things as simple as possible for your family, and allow your house to pass to your children upon your death without any delay. Now that your trust owns your home, here are some things you should know.
R.I.P. Tavey – When We Lose a Pet
If you follow our page on Facebook, then you know our beloved Chief Morale Officer, Octavia “Tavey” Antczak passed away peacefully on Monday, June 25th after a brief illness. A good friend died a couple weeks later, and I envision Tavey greeting her the same way she greeted clients in our office for years. Releasing […]
ALERT: Irrevocable Trust Law Change
Usually I try to write articles that are interesting, fun or at least minimally intriguing. This time, I’ll get right to the point – there’s been a Major Development in the use of irrevocable trusts for MassHealth (Medicaid) planning. These trusts have been under fire from the Department of Medicaid for years, and we finally […]
7 Earth Friendlier Options for Your Remains
Burials are taking their toll on the environment. Casket production, and the chemicals involved in embalming are just two reasons. If you care about the environment during your lifetime, why not also in death?
I’m a First Cousin, Twice-Removed!
On May 4th, I became a first cousin, twice-removed. I know. It’s not quite as glamorous as becoming a mom or a grandmother, but that’s what it is. First cousin, twice-removed. Basically, my father’s sister became a great-grandmother for the first time. Ancestry. MyHeritage. Archives. FamilySearch. The world of online genealogical research has exploded recently. […]
Stop Being Selfish and Get Your Planning Done
The problem today is that while we can make plans for unforeseen future events, we don’t want to get out of our comfort zone and so instead we stay in our safety cocoon. We hem and haw and hope for the best. Maybe even gleefully saying, “What do I care? I won’t be here” to […]