While most people understand that they will need a Last Will and Testament, a recent Gallup poll shows that 46 percent of American adults do not have a will. If you are one of this group, whether due to simple procrastination or unwillingness to confront mortality, now...
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...
New Year’s Resolutions for Seniors
New Year’s resolutions are a way to start off the New Year right. Usually, they have to do with improving ourselves. Whether it is to lose weight, exercise, learn a new skill, etc. More often than not, the resolution only lasts a few weeks or a couple of months. Here is an...
Protecting Your College Student with Estate Planning
Despite the fact that once they’re officially an adult and you’re no longer legally responsible for them, most college students need guidance in navigating some of the legal aspects of adulthood. The good news is you can help your child with their Estate Plan, so they’re set up for the unexpected when...
What if My Primary Beneficiary Predeceases Me?
This question can be a troubling one. Although the odds are in your favor that your wishes will be able to be carried out as stated in your will and/or established in your trust(s), there is always the rare but real possibility that the person you intended to leave your worldly goods...
How to plan your estate as a Solo Ager
According to Forbes Magazine, it is estimated that there are 12 million adults over age of 65 and are living alone, or 27% of the overall population. That is a staggering number. Of that population, most are women. Ironically, although they are now alone, most were at one time or another, caretakers to...
Your New Year’s Legal Check-up
A new year is upon us, and with it comes a host of New Year’s resolutions. A Neilson.com survey found that the top goals for the new year included: 1) staying fit and healthy, 2) losing weight, 3) enjoying life to the fullest, 4) spending less, saving more, 5) spending more time...
How can I protect my will from being contested?
The Last Will and Testament is the most basic estate planning document. If you die without a will (intestate), crucial decisions about how your property will be distributed and who will be the guardian of your minor children will be decided by Commonwealth of Massachusetts intestacy laws.
Because your will...
The Downside of Using On-line Estate Planning Software
The following case study is on the pitfalls of using online software forestate planning. This is a recent situation that Attorney Michelle Beneski and our office had to navigate. The names of the family have been changed but it could happen to anyone.
Bob was unmarried. He had 2 children. One of his...
AARP Article: How to Be a Good Executor of a Will or Estate
What to know about managing someone's final wishes
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by Sharon Waters, AARP
The wave of people prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic to write their wills is creating yet another wave in estate planning: all the people being asked to one day put those wills into effect.