Probate is the process through which property is legally transferred when someone dies. It can be time-consuming, costly, and confusing, especially when the estate is of high net worth or is otherwise complicated. For this reason, many individuals and families seek astute estate planning attorneys to help them avoid...
Estate Planning Blog – Surprenant, Beneski & Nunes

Virtual Meetings
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been offering virtual meetings. Here are a few reasons people prefer them.
Time:
They’re far more efficient.Saves drive time.Easier to schedule – reduces the effort of scheduling your life around a meeting.Inclusivity:

Why Do I Need a Business Succession Plan?
Only a small percentage of businesses in the U.S. have business succession plans in place. This is not a good idea, even if a family member is ready and willing to take over. Two facts make a succession plan, actually two succession plans, necessary:
No one knows when...
Why Is Putting Off Estate Planning Until Retirement a Bad Idea?
More people than you might think put off estate planning until they are getting ready to retire or have already retired. This is a bad idea for a number of reasons that we will discuss, but basically an estate “plan” is a road map to the future so it makes sense to...

Why Estate Plans Are Not One-and-Done
Having put a well-crafted estate plan in place, many people feel that they are now finished with the task. But not following up with a regular review of your estate plan is comparable to not visiting the dentist for years after having your teeth cleaned — likely to result in serious trouble....

Questions to Help You Choose the Right Estate Planning Attorney
Now that you’ve gotten down to the task of estate planning, you want to find the most qualified estate planning attorney for the job, but also someone who is caring and supportive, someone with whom you are compatible, someone you can trust. After all, you will be sharing some private details about...

“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...

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Social Security Benefits
Q: Mary asks, “My husband passed away last month. How do I handle notifying Social Security that he has passed?”
A: Social Security should be notified as soon as possible when a person dies. In most...

Major Reasons to Estate Plan as an 18-year-old
Reaching the age of 18 is a milestone, considered to be the beginning of young adulthood. For those who are just turning 18, this is a time for declaring independence and taking control of your own life. What many 18-year-olds don’t realize is that one major way of taking control of your...

What to Consider When Choosing a Trustee
Choosing a trustee to manage your funds, invest them wisely and distribute them when necessary is best made after careful consideration. Since you will be using a skilled estate planning attorney to establish the trust, that individual will be a good person with whom to discuss this important decision. If you are...
