Estate Planning Resources
Practical guidance on wills, trusts, probate, business succession planning, and protecting the people and businesses you care about most.
The Unexpected Challenges of Being an Estate Executor
The Unexpected Challenges of Being an Estate Executor When someone asks you to be the executor of their estate, it might seem like a straightforward responsibility - distribute assets according to their will and handle some paperwork. However, as many executors discover, the role involves far more complexity, time, and [...]
Why Reviewing Your Trust Regularly Isn’t Optional—It’s Essential
Why Reviewing Your Trust Regularly Isn't Optional—It's Essential You've taken the important step of creating an estate plan, and it includes a trust—congratulations! This shows you care deeply about keeping your family out of court and conflict, ensuring your wishes are known and honored, and you do not want to [...]
Gene Hackman’s Estate: A Wake-Up Call
Gene Hackman's Estate: A Wake-Up Call The recent passing of legendary actor Gene Hackman has revealed a complicated estate situation that serves as a powerful warning for everyone - married couples especially - regardless of your net worth. Whether you have significant assets or just want to ensure [...]
Five Essential Steps to Protect Your Loved Ones in 2025
You know that uneasy feeling when you think about what everyone you love would do, if (and when) something happens to you? That nagging voice reminding you that you still haven't created a will or trust or updated the estate plan you do have? As we enter 2025, [...]
Considerations with Co-Trustees
Considerations with Appointing Co-Trustees Nearly every person that is designing their estate plan will wrestle with questions of who should be appointed the successor trustee or personal representative (the person who will be in charge of distribution after the plan-maker(s) are dead) and how many people should serve in that [...]
Estate Planning Agents Questions and Answers
Who And How Many? When it comes to Estate Planning, you have a lot of decisions to make. The obvious ones are what are you going to do with your assets and the disposition of your remains when you die. Another major part of the decisions will revolve around who [...]
What Went Wrong?
Recently I received an email from a client asking me what went wrong in her parent’s estate plan so as to make it so that they had to go through probate. She asked, “isn’t the purpose of getting a trust so you don’t have to go through probate? Everyone tells [...]
How Not To Draft Contracts
Recently, a client wanted me to look over a "right to cancel" clause for the installation of energy saving feature for his home. My client is a smart person and typically doesn't have any problems in reading/understanding contracts or "legalese". He emailed me the following two paragraphs: 11. NOTICE OF [...]