Britney Spears’ battle with her father
The news about Britney Spears’ battle with her father to end his appointment of Guardian over Britney garnered its fair share of headlines. But Britney’s high profile guardianship battle was hardly the first and won’t be the last.
A recent study published in The Lancet, which is a weekly...
Add “Powers of Attorney” to Your College Student’s Back-to-School Checklist
If you’re preparing to send a child off to college this fall, you should add two documents to your back-to-school checklist: (1) a power of attorney for health care [a/k/a Health Care Proxy], and (2) a durable power of attorney for finances. Without these two documents, you may not have the...
Teenagers off to College?
This time of year is always so exciting for parents and their graduating teenagers. Proms. Parties. Pictures. Graduations. Prepping for college. But before you do all that, there is something else parents should consider for your high school graduate: their estate plan .
You are asking . . ....
Beware of Frequent Estate Planning Scams
Estate planning offers are everywhere – on television, on the internet, through phone solicitations, and even through in-person presentations (albeit less so with the COVID-19 pandemic). So how do you ensure that your intentions are captured in your estate planning documents and no one is taking advantage of you? For starters,...
When to Update Your Estate Plan
Life is not stagnant; situations change and evolve. Your estate plan should reflect your current status and expected future status and desires. There are many life changes and developments that might warrant an update, which is why it’s important to periodically review your estate plan with Attorney Patricia Bloom-McDonald. Below, we’ve...
Understanding the Common Types of Trusts
A Trust is a legal arrangement through which one person (or an institution, such as a bank or law firm), called a “Trustee,” holds legal title to property for another person, called a “beneficiary.”
Trusts fall into two basic categories: Testamentary and Inter Vivos.
Are You Single? You Still Need an Estate Plan
Many people believe that if they are single, they don’t need a Last Will and Testament or other estate planning documents. But estate planning is just as important for single people as it is for couples and families.
Estate planning allows you to ensure that your property will...
What Happens to Assets Left in a Special Needs Trust on the Death of the Beneficiary?
When a special needs trust beneficiary dies, the trust is typically terminated or restructured. But terminating a special needs trust is not as simple as merely writing a check to the remainder beneficiaries and calling it a day. There are several key considerations and requirements to keep in mind.
Four Questions to Help You Choose the Right Professional Trustee for Your Special Needs Trust
Parents or other family members establishing a special needs trust for their disabled family member often want to name a professional — usually a bank, trust company, attorney, certified public accountant or non-profit — as one of the trustees of the trust in order to take advantage of that individual’s experience with...
How to Avoid Guardianship or Conservatorship in Massachusetts
Guardianship and conservatorship both refer to a legal relationship between one person (the guardian or conservator) and another person (the incapacitated person) where the guardian/conservator has the ability and responsibility to make decisions on the other’s behalf. The primary difference between these two roles is the types of decisions that a...