Probate is the court-supervised process of verifying a last will and testament if the deceased made one. The process includes:
locating and determining the value of the person's assets paying their final bills and taxes distributing the remainder of the estate to their...
Excuses Why PeopleDon’t Have an Estate Plan
Many clients fail to plan because they are under the assumption that estate planning is only for the wealthy. If you have any assets or any children, you have a need to plan. Estate planning is used to protect individuals and their loved ones of all ages and at all stages of life....
Where to Keep Your Legal Documents
So, you’ve planned ahead and have decided how you want your affairs to be handled upon your passing. You have signed all of your Basic Estate Planning documents: a Last Will and Testament, a Durable Power of Attorney, a living will, a Massachusetts Health Care Proxy, and a HIPAA Release. You may...
10 Ways to Deal With Siblings Who Don’t Help With Aging Parents
When the health of an elderly parent starts to decline, typically one sibling steps in to become the primary caregiver. The demands start out small. Care is easy at first. But as care demands more time and money, stress builds and so can resentment toward non-contributing family members. Old rivalries and jealousies...
Estate Planning for a Multi-Generational Family
Times have changed and so has the idea of what a traditional family looks like. Due to economic or practical circumstances, more households have become multi-generational homes with grandparents, parents and children all living under one roof, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data. The dynamic of a multi-generational...
Utilizing a Revocable Living Trust to Minimize Estate Taxes
What is a trust?
A trust is a written agreement between the person(s) who creates the trust and the person(s) who administers the trust as to how any property owned by the trust may be used. Basically, it is a written set of rules and instructions guiding how property...
Becoming Minimalist Article: Inheritance: It’s More than You Think
WRITTEN by JOSHUA BECKER
I was recently asked, “How does your view of passing on an inheritance factor in your minimizing?”
I responded with a quote from Peter Strople I’ve never forgotten:
Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people.
Why Estate Planning Should Be One of Your New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions are about planning your future and many of us view them as pathways to self-improvement -- to lose weight, exercise more, spend less on frivolous items, respond to emails more promptly. Beyond that, we often conceive of New Year’s resolutions as a means of tackling things we’ve been putting...
Special Needs Alliance Article: Your Special Needs Trust (“SNT”) Defined
You have a special needs trust— or you have been designated as the trustee of a special needs trust— or your child has a special needs trust. What is a trust? What is a trustee? What is a beneficiary? What are all these terms you’ve never used before even though your first...
AgingCare Article: Is Aging in Place Always the Best Option for Seniors?
As we age, most of us claim we want to age in place—to stay in the familiar homes we love throughout the rest of our lives. But many seniors don’t think this decision through and wind up unsafe, unsupported, lonely and even housebound.
“Elder orphans” is the phrase du...