Many people default to nominating a spouse or a child as personal representative of their estate or trustee of their trust, if they have one. However, when one has neither a spouse nor a child, who should one choose to fill...more
10/13/2023
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Family Members ,
Fiduciary ,
Inheritance ,
Successors ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Wills
This week, we heard about yet another conservatorship that may have been improper or involved misconduct: that of Michael Oher, the former NFL player. I take no position on the truth of the matter, that is what the discovery...more
Many trusts are established with the goal of protecting assets and ensuring the longevity of those assets for future generations. A trustee then may wonder if they have the authority to withhold money from a beneficiary who...more
Elvis Has Left the Building -
In 1977, when Elvis Presley died (to put a complicated situation very simply), his estate and any future royalties generated by his intellectual property, including his music, passed into a...more
3/31/2023
/ Beneficiaries ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Family Members ,
Inheritance ,
Successors ,
Trust Administration ,
Trust Distributions ,
Trustees ,
Trusts ,
Will Contest ,
Wills
Picture this: your great aunt has died and left you and your brother each one million dollars, her entire estate, in a will. Great, right? Now imagine that your brother never appreciated your great aunt during her lifetime,...more
12/15/2022
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Conflict Resolution ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Family Members ,
Fiduciary ,
Inheritance ,
Trust Administration ,
Trusts ,
Wills
It is a common misconception that if a person has a will, there will be no need for court proceedings upon their death. In Massachusetts, however, a will must always be admitted to probate, a process requiring various forms...more
9/2/2022
/ Asset Management ,
Beneficiaries ,
Estate Claims ,
Estate Planning ,
Family Members ,
Fiduciary ,
Financial Planning ,
Inheritance ,
Trust Administration ,
Trusts ,
Wealth Management ,
Wills
Picture this: your family has a longstanding rumor that you are the child of an affair. Not only that, but it is an open secret who your family believes your other parent is. One day, you hear that the possible other parent...more
Picture this: your beloved grandfather hands out cash gifts to his three grandchildren every year on their birthdays. Each grandchild receives $100 every year like clockwork. Then, one year, your grandfather gives your cousin...more