Estate Planning

An age-based trust distribution releases inheritance to a beneficiary in stages tied to specific birthdays — most commonly one-third at age 25, one-third at age 30, and the remainder at age 35. The structure exists because handing a young adult the full balance of a trust on their 18th or 21st birthday rarely produces good outcomes,

An irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT) owns a life insurance policy on your life so that the death benefit is not included in your taxable estate. For Massachusetts families, where the state estate tax kicks in at $2 million — including the full face value of life insurance you own — an ILIT can save hundreds

Marriage gives you a stronger position in a Massachusetts hospital than no marriage — but it does not guarantee that your spouse will be allowed to make medical decisions for you. The single most important document for LGBTQ couples (and frankly, for everyone) is the Massachusetts health care proxy, paired with a HIPAA authorization and

The Vacation Home Question Almost Every Massachusetts Family Eventually Asks If you own a place on Lake Winnipesaukee, a cottage on Cape Cod, a ski condo in the Berkshires, or a seasonal home in Maine or Florida — at some point, the question comes up. Should the vacation home go into a trust? Sometimes the

When Time Is Short, Here’s What to Handle First A terminal diagnosis changes the math on everything — including the estate plan you’ve been meaning to finalize for years. The good news: even with weeks or months instead of years, there’s still meaningful work that can be done to protect your family, reduce taxes, and

The right guardian for your children is the person whose values, parenting style, and life circumstances most closely match what you’d want your child’s life to look like — not necessarily your closest relative, your wealthiest sibling, or your oldest friend. In Massachusetts, you nominate a guardian in your will, and the Probate and Family Court

Joint tenancy with right of survivorship means the surviving owner automatically gets the property when the other dies, outside probate. Tenants in common means each owner’s share passes through their estate to whomever they’ve designated — spouse, children, or, in the absence of a will, intestate heirs. For unmarried couples in Massachusetts, the choice between

A UTMA (Uniform Transfers to Minors Act) account is simple, low-cost, and ends when the child turns 21 in Massachusetts — at which point the child gets the entire balance with no strings attached. A trust costs more to set up, requires a trustee, but lets you control when and how the child receives the