If you are among the 40% of Americans who believe they don’t have enough assets to have an estate plan, here’s a simple estate planning checklist for you to take to see if you’re right. ✅ If you check YES to only one item on the list below, then you’re right! ✅✅If you check YES…
Today a lawsuit fit for television begins (think: Succession). The exciting part of this lawsuit is that the battle involves an irrevocable trust. As an estate planning attorney, I’m geeking out. Unlike divorce, trademark, and personal injury, there aren’t many high-profile estate planning lawsuits, and the few there do mostly occur because someone has died…
I recently saw a post written by a funeral home in Massachusetts about a transfer on death deed, that seems to have gone viral. According to Facebook, the post was shared over 83,000 times. That’s how I saw it; because people who I know shared it. Unfortunately, while there are some really helpful tips in…
In December 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act marked a pivotal moment in retirement planning, introducing substantial revisions to beneficiary distribution rules. However, its impact was swiftly eclipsed by the onset of a global pandemic, diverting attention from its provisions. Now, with the nation gradually shifting focus beyond the pandemic’s…
Even though it’s the shortest month of the year (even during a Leap Year!), February brings forth many significant milestones. Those of us in the northeast eagerly await the Groundhog’s report hoping for warmer days ahead, many people think of February as the month of love with Valentine’s Day on the 14th, it is often…
Probate can be a complex and lengthy process that many people wish to avoid when planning their estates. While it’s possible to sidestep probate through various means, such as trusts, joint ownership, and beneficiary designations, individuals often make critical mistakes in their attempts to avoid probate that sometimes cause more harm than going through probate.…
