Your family matters. Your time matters.
With a simple approach, video conference, notary signing at your home and payment plans,
I can take the stress out of planning.
Named a 2021 Top Lawyer in Trusts and Estates by Boston Magazine
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Here are a few of the ways we can protect your family by planning in advance:
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Implement your own decisions.
If you leave it to the courts, your property will pass according to formulas set in state law instead of your own wishes, and a court will have to choose guardians for your children instead of you.
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A minor cannot inherit directly.
By default, a probate court will appoint a trustee. If the trust is planned in advance, it can protect against lawsuits, divorce, disability and other personal complications, and preserve eligibility for college aid.
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Probate ties up assets for at least one year.
Probate in Massachusetts is a lengthy, expensive process that puts burdens on your loved ones at an already difficult time, and ties up your assets when your family might need them.
But with a well-constructed trust-based plan, probate can be reduced or avoided entirely.
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Estate taxes start at $1 million in Mass.
Your home and life insurance are included in that tax. Most Boston-area homeowners I meet with will have a taxable estate.
Using trusts, I can often reduce or eliminate that tax, saving the family much more money in the end than they invested in the planning.
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An inheritance can make a disabled person ineligible for benefits.
A family member who is eligible for disability benefits should never inherit, or be paid life insurance benefits, directly. They can lose more in benefits than they inherit.
When planned in advance, a supplemental needs trust can preserve eligibility.
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You could become incapacitated.
Accidents happen. Are you prepared? By planning in advance, you can arrange for a family member to take care of your financial and health care decisions without court intervention.
It’s never too early to plan ahead. I have been writing will- and trust-based estate plans in Massachusetts since 2014. My clients include young families, established homeowners, retirees, parents of disabled children, and people who just want to make sure that nothing is left to chance. They know that planning ahead reduces the burdens and costs their families may experience later.
In addition to your will, or living trust with pourover will, you will receive advice, instructions, and additional documents such as power of attorney and healthcare proxy. We can transfer your home to your trust to keep it out of probate, and even reduce or eliminate estate taxes.