Being a trustee is a serious responsibility. While having a co-trustee can mean having the skills and support of another individual as you complete the necessary tasks, when disagreements arise, being a trustee can become more challenging. If you are considering having co-trustees or are a co-trustee who wants to understand...
Have You Been Asked to Be a Trustee? Think Carefully Before You Agree
If a loved one has chosen you as a trustee, it’s important to explore what tasks are involved and how much time your duties as a trustee are likely to take. This blog will provide you with the information you need to make an informed decision. Contact us for answers to the...
How to Pick the Right Trustee
At Surprenant & Beneski, P.C., we have successfully established trusts for many clients in Southeastern Massachusetts. As accomplished estate planning attorneys, we are well-versed in the multiple advantages trusts offer in facilitating the transfer of funds, diminishing taxes, protecting assets, avoiding probate costs and delays, planning for incapacity, and funding...
Lifetime Planning for Solo Agers
Often, we say that estate planning is about thinking about your family, but what if you don’t have family? Solo agers are a demographic that, although unique, are not uncommon. More and more we are seeing a widow or a widower, divorced, never married or an only child who has no siblings...
What Are the Benefits of Irrevocable Gift Trusts?
Planning your estate not only enables you to provide for your loved ones after you die but to share your assets with them while you are alive. One of the most advantageous ways to accomplish the latter is to create an Irrevocable Gift Trust (IGT). If you live in Southeastern...
Common Types of Property That Can Be Placed in a Trust
It is not difficult to become confused about the terms and uses of various types of trust. At Surprenant & Beneski, P.C., where we serve estate planning clients throughout Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod, we find that many people come to us with questions about trusts. They want to know precisely...
Test Your Estate Planning Knowledge
by Attorney Rebecca S. Spinner
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How much do you know about estate planning? How prepared are you and your family? Take this short quiz to test your knowledge and perhaps learn something new!
Question #1
True or false? You must name the same...
Why Do I Need a Trust If I’m Not Wealthy?
Although many people associate trusts with having a large estate, trusts can serve several important purposes for middle-class individuals and families. The best way to find out if one or more trusts can be beneficial for you is to consult with a knowledgeable trust and estate attorney. If you live in...
Estate Planning for Snowbirds
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once joked, “My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law.” It’s funny because it seems like everyone becomes a snowbird once they retire. Thanks to old man winter here in Southeastern Massachusetts, a large number of retirees do flock like snowbirds...
“Irrevocable” Doesn’t Always Mean “Unchangeable”
For starters, a revocable trust is a changeable, amendable, revocable document. The opposite is not true: It is not true that all irrevocable trusts cannot be changed. This article seeks to briefly explore some examples of the types of irrevocable trusts that can be altered, in what way, and why drafting for...