It is certainly as important as the act of initially creating a sound and tailored estate plan to take an occasional peek at it thereafter and make tweaks as necessary. Because those tweaks — and, sometimes, major revisions — will become necessary. Life has a habit of rendering any “immutable and forever” plan, well, mutable.
Craft it, forget about it; not an optimal recipe for estate planning Read More »
The death of actor Alan Thicke last year was unfortunately more than just another surprising celebrity passing. It has sparked a family feud of sorts. Thicke’s sons, Brennan and Robin are one side, and his wife, Tanya, is on the other. Both sides are embroiled in a dispute over how Thicke’s estate should be divided.
The legal battle continues between Alan Thicke’s sons, widow Read More »
Loving parents in Massachusetts and elsewhere worry about their children with physical and/or mental disabilities, and understandably so. Caregivers wish they could live forever, standing resolutely beside their loved ones and helping them face and conquer every challenge. That is simply not meant to be the case, of course. Parents do ultimately pass, most often
Caring for a special needs child, now and after you’re gone Read More »
Although elder law considerations in estate planning are many and varied, a prevailing and widely held view concerning the topic has long stressed that administration in this discrete area centers almost solely on safeguarding elderly loved ones from financial ruin in old age, mostly due to high medical costs. Indeed, one recent media focus on
Focus on elder law: broader, more nuanced than many people think Read More »
When it comes to their estate plan, some people only think about their will. It’s true that a will is a key component of your estate plan. Just because you have a will in place doesn’t mean that your estate plan is complete. There are a number of considerations that are forgotten about when people
Three overlooked estate planning elements Read More »
We all have heard the adage “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” We follow that adage with all of our estate plans because we believe that people should have their wishes honored as they pass on. However, we also understand that many people do not see the usefulness of a will. Through this post,
Is a will the way to solidify your estate plan? Read More »
Some of the stories related in a recent estate planning piece might reasonably be termed as “outlier” tales stressing truly dire ramifications that can ensue when a planner fails to take some requisite action that promotes certainty regarding a future outcome. Alternatively, they might be denoted as “the worst that could happen” tales. Here’s one,
Admonitory planning stories: no dearth of these frightful tales Read More »
“Wealth doesn’t come with a handbook.” So says a multimillionaire business principal who, like many similarly wealthy individuals, duly stresses about the future of his children. Although that concern might seem a bit misplaced — even incongruous — for well-heeled business tycoons and families in Massachusetts and across the country, it is decidedly the case
Focus: estate planning for truly high-asset families Read More »
It’s laudable, of course, if you have already expended the necessary time, effort and well-considered thought necessary to craft a soundly tailored and forward-thinking estate plan to provide for your family, lawfully avoid taxes, fund your favorite charity, establish a personal legacy and so forth. Undoubtedly, you felt a sense of accomplishment and relief in
Like other important things, estate plan needs periodic updating Read More »
Some individuals in Massachusetts and elsewhere across the country likely feel sometimes as though they are standing outside a bubble denoted “estate planning and administration” and contemplating others within it who are timely and rationally taking care of business in that important realm while they are not. Indeed, that feeling of uncertainty and — for
No heirs or living spouse: still a need for sound estate planning Read More »
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