On April 27, 2020, Governor Baker signed a new Massachusetts law legalizing the use of videoconferencing services in signing documents before notaries public and witnesses during the COVID-19 crisis. This will allow real...more
You just had a meeting with your estate planner, and are certain that an excellent estate plan was proposed. Something about a will, a trust (or was it two trusts?), and lots of discussion about who should be executor (was...more
People don’t like to think about their wills—even people with an awful lot of property to pass on. Aretha Franklin and Prince are two wealthy celebrities who died without a will—and the former knew she was sick with cancer...more
The occasion of a loved one’s passing is a shock, and the loss can often throw those nearest and dearest off their guard. In fact, despite the difficulty of doing so, this is when at least one survivor must step up and take...more
On December 22, 2017, the President signed a major change to federal tax law that contains many provisions affecting individuals, estates, and trusts. While the impetus behind the change was simplification, as some unnamed...more
TAXES ON ASSETS IN JURISDICTIONS WITH NO ESTATE TAXES -
Since 2001, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue ("DOR") has held that persons in Massachusetts who pass away owning real estate or valuable tangibles located in...more
On August 2, 2016, the IRS issued proposed regulations that would eliminate or limit the use of certain valuation discounts regularly applied when valuing interests in family-owned entities for gift and estate tax...more