The public doesn’t realize that only a small percentage of attorneys regularly appear in court. Still fewer ever appear before their state supreme courts. For a good part of my career I did appear quite regularly in courts, but only irregularly in the Appellate Court of Massachusetts, once in a Federal Appeals Court, but never… Read More »
Posts By Author: Tiffany O'ConnellPage 38
Estate Planning “Mistakes” Lead to Serious Consequences
Plenty of mistakes that seem minor at the time could end up leaving you or your loved ones with unfortunate consequences. Sadly, in the vast majority of these cases, it will be too late for you to do anything about it. Many family members are realizing the mistakes of their loved ones after that loved… Read More »
The Dangers of Improperly Funding your Revocable Trust
A revocable trust is an extremely popular estate planning tool that can help you plan ahead for your future. It is critical to ensure however that the trust has been appropriately funded. There is significant advantages associated with using a revocable trust, such as avoiding probate and asset management. However, you’ll never be able to… Read More »
Bill’s Blog: What’s the Long Term Prognosis of Long-Term Care?
Buried in all the post-election news was an item in the Boston Globe’s “Business” section of November 11, 2016 headlined “Hancock Leaving Long-Term Care.” You may have missed it, but its significance is great for our clients who consider long-term care insurance (LTCI) a significant option to pay for expensive care they might need. John… Read More »
Key Reasons Why You Need a Life Insurance Policy in Your Estate Plan
You know that you’ve got to have a will, possibly a trust, and powers of attorney as part of your estate plan. But if you’ve overlooked life insurance, this could turn out to be a huge mistake for you and your loved ones. There is a good chance that like most people across the United… Read More »
The Value of Understanding Competency Grounds for Challenging a Will
Any heir or beneficiary has the right to challenge or contest your will. This means that he or she is arguing that there is one reason or another why the will should not be classified as legally valid in a probate sense. An individual coming forward to contest the will has the responsibility of… Read More »
Estate Planning, Investing, and Retirement Planning Are All Struggles for American Citizens
The annual survey put out by Hearts & Wallets identified that in a survey of more than 5,000 adults, individuals who are in their late career or pre-retirement and believe they will be retiring in the next 5 years have issues with retirement planning, investing and estate planning. More than half of these individuals… Read More »
Tips for Selecting an Executor for Your Estate
Your executor, now called a personal representative in Massachusetts, is the individual responsible for settling any debts that you have, paying any taxes associated with your estate, and carrying out the instructions you lay out in your will. There are three recommended traits that you need to consider when selecting the right personal representative for… Read More »
Top Reasons Why You Need to Consider Hiring an Attorney to Help You Write Your Will
It can be tempting to think that it’s easy enough to download a document from the worldwide web and fill it out with your unique information. This, however, does not guarantee that your will is actually valid and could end up doing more harm than good. For example, if it’s not in line with your… Read More »
Bill’s Blog: Michelle Boiardi, Visiting Angels, Boston Area, “Other Ways to Deal with Dementia”
Michelle, whose career includes more than a decade of working in the “memory units” of assisted living communities, recently joined the Boston area’s Visiting Angels” to advise staff, home health aides, and families on ways to care for people with dementia in their own homes. She brought that experience and significant knowledge to bear… Read More »