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Paul HergottCastanet |
Jordan (not his real name) consulted me about the use of a power of attorney that appoints him as attorney for his father, Peter. I’ll start with a...
I’m learning that "unicorns" do exist – in the context of finding a caring trustee for a drug addicted adult child. Last week, I wrote about the...
A significant financial windfall would benefit most of us. But for some, it would be a short-lived flash in the pan. For others, it could do more harm...
This past Thursday was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, to memorialize those who have been, and continue to be, murdered because of transphobia. I...
Might someone destroy a will to increase their inheritance? The possibility hadn’t occurred to me until I was consulted about that exact scenario....
I just completed a seven-column series about setting up your affairs so your wealth doesn’t pass through your estate upon your death. I was...
A reader challenged me to share advice about how to protect loved ones from what he called “legal terrorism”. He said he endured a horrible legal...
A reader shared a horrific story about a fight over his father’s estate and demanded to know why I was not telling people they can avoid all those...
This is the fifth column in a series about avoiding probate, prompted by a challenge from a reader who believes that lawyer “estate chasers” are...
A reader shared he was left “victimized, terrorized and traumatized” from what he referred to as eight years of “legal terrorism” related to a...
Legal fights over estates are horrifically expensive and can tear families apart. This is the third in a series of columns explaining how to eliminate...
A reader challenged me to write about avoiding probate, which he identified as the evil that led him to suffer years of legal “terrorism,” going...
I welcome reader feedback, including harsh feedback. Similar to using the term “ambulance chasers” as an insulting way to refer to personal injury...
Is your will worth the paper it’s printed on? Maybe not if you’re in a blended family. I am contacted periodically by stepchildren who have been...
My topic two weeks ago was how lucrative executor work can be. There’s another side to that coin. First, a reminder of why executor work can be...
Last week, I wrote about how lucrative acting as an executor can be, noting it’s a job that doesn’t require formal qualifications or experience. I...
Do you know how lucrative acting as an executor can be? It’s a unique job. You can be appointed with no formal qualifications and no experience...
Don’t pay a lawyer or notary to remove your deceased spouse’s name from title to your home which you own together as joint tenants. If you want to...
I am following through on my promise to provide do-it-yourself guidance about how to make changes to a will. I’ll start with a basic British...
Question from a reader: “Just a quick question - the ledger of prior gifts given to children and referred to in the will - is there a requirement...
Last week I compared two mechanisms for equalizing children’s inheritances where one (or more) of the children received a financial gift during a...
Hotchpot or a loan, which is the better way to equalize your children’s inheritances? I’ll start with the hotchpot option. The word “hotchpot”...
How can you divide your wealth equally between your children at your death if you gave them different levels of financial support while you were...
It’s icky, the thought of cozying up to a vulnerable senior for the purpose of becoming a beneficiary of their will. But there’s a flip side to...
I introduced the subject of undue influence last week with the case of an 84-year-old woman who the bulk of her approximately $1 million estate to a...
A salacious news story this past week, about an 84-year-old woman leaving her estate to a much younger male prostitute, caught my eye. The few facts I...
Last week, I encouraged adult children to talk to their parents about their eventual inheritance. It can feel like a selfish and cringy topic. But in...
Have you talked to your parents about your eventual inheritance? No? Does the mere thought of it feel unbearably uncomfortable, especially if you...
Do you know where your original will is? Does your executor know where it is? Is it easily accessible? You can save your beneficiaries significant...
This may come as shock for some but wills are not permanent. It’s reasonable if you thought they were, with all the pomp and circumstance around...
I regularly advise people, “Your will is fine. It doesn’t need to be updated”. While debunking misunderstandings about the need to update wills,...
Life’s curve balls can mess with the best-intentioned plans. Take Peter, whose wife Irene has dementia. Irene has always looked after the family’s...
I ended my column last week with the warning that not all powers of attorney are the same. They can be as simple as a one-page form or quite...
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