By Dan Surprenant, Esq., CELA, Managing Partner
Life Estate Deeds sound simple: You get to live in your house for life, and it passes directly to your children after you're gone. They avoid probate and can even protect your home from nursing home costs. Sounds perfect, right? Not so...
Attorney Erin L. Nunes, Esq. Partner
The world of law, like many other industries, is changing fast. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, you can now generate all sorts of documents with a few simple prompts. The temptation to handle your own estate plan using a DIY AI service...
Inheriting property with siblings often brings both practical and emotional questions to the surface. Decisions about whether to keep, sell, or divide the property can affect finances, taxes, and family relationships, and no single sibling can act alone. Because every major choice requires agreement or a legal process to resolve a deadlock,...
An early-onset Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis often brings immediate legal and financial concerns, particularly for people who are still working, parenting, or supporting others. Early planning gives you the opportunity to put decision-making authority in place while you still have legal capacity and to safeguard income, benefits, and long-term care options as...
By Erin L. Nunes, Managing Partner, Surprenant, Beneski & Nunes, P.C.
Every week, our office meets families who wish they had started planning sooner—or had a clearer understanding of the changes unfolding around them. Legal rules are shifting. Healthcare systems are under strain. Longterm care costs are rising. And adult children...
You can leave unequal inheritances to your children as long as your estate plan clearly reflects your intent and complies with Massachusetts law. The focus should be on making sure your wishes are legally enforceable and structured in a way that reduces the risk of disputes later. Families are rarely identical, and...
At Surprenant, Beneski & Nunes, we have always been about helping you "get your ducks in a row". For decades, this phrase has defined our firm’s identity, representing our commitment to helping families find order and security...
You can contest a trust in Massachusetts, but only under specific circumstances and within strict time limits. Courts do not undo a trust simply because the result feels unfair. There must be evidence that something legally went wrong when the trust was created or later amended.
When a trust...
We have reached the final week of Feel Good February! Over the last three weeks, we’ve secured your team with the Guardian Duck, organized your assets with the Treasure Duck, and ensured your personal care with the Comfort Duck.
Now, it is time to bring it all together with our final guide: The Legacy Duck. This week...
Welcome to Week 3 of Feel Good February. So far, we’ve secured our team with the Guardian Duck and organized our assets with the Treasure Duck. This week, we introduce a guide that handles one of the most personal and emotional aspects of planning: The Comfort Duck.
At Surprenant, Beneski & Nunes, we believe that estate planning...
