Trust Protector’s Amendment Challenged By Beneficiaries
A recent Arizona appellate case raised a novel question. Can a trust protector’s amendment be challenged by the trust’s beneficiaries? Austin Bates and his family To understand the appellate decision — and the effect it might have on others — it helps to know the family involved. From the reported decision and a quick check […]
At Fleming & Curti, Pandemic Sparks Digital Acceleration
The Covid-19 pandemic has become known as the great accelerator, speeding up change in our lives and our workplaces. Change has advanced overall by an estimated 3 to 4 years, and more like 7 years for digital acceleration. People, businesses, and institutions adapted more easily than anyone imagined. Most of us developed new strategies to […]
Court Restricts Trust’s Medicaid Payback Provision
It’s a pretty well-understood concept (at least among lawyers and family members). Sometimes you can have assets and still qualify for public benefits. You may be able to establish a special needs trust. But that trust will have to include a Medicaid payback provision. What is a Medicaid payback provision? A self-settled special needs trust […]
April Review: Politics, Dead Celebs, and Dogs
At the end of each month, we like to survey the elder law landscape and share items we found interesting or newsworthy. The April review is heavy on politics and dead celebrities, but there’s a literal pet project, too: April Review: Politics Infrastructure: We learned this month that “infrastructure” can mean long-term care. Yes, President […]
“Letter of Instruction” Helps Document Your Wishes
When we prepare your estate plan, we try to capture your wishes as thoroughly and precisely as possible. It can be a challenge, though, to cover every variable. You may also have preferences that are hard to capture in the legal language of trusts, wills and powers of attorney. That’s why we encourage clients to […]
Trust Protectors Give Your Team Extra Support
A relatively new player is gaining popularity in estate planning: trust protectors. Naming one can add an additional layer of assurance that a trust’s primary objectives will be carried out long term. A trust normally has three categories of players: The trustors, or creators The trustees, who hold the property for the benefit of the […]
Roth IRAs and Your Estate Planning
Most people have at least a general understanding of Roth IRAs, but may not really understand how they might affect estate planning. Let’s see if we can clear up some of the questions and the most common confusion we see. First, what are Roth IRAs? William “Bill” Roth was a Republican U.S. Senator from Delaware […]
March Review: Estate Taxes, Britney, and a Good Read
At the end of the month, we like to survey the elder law landscape and share news and notable developments, and sometimes something that’s just interesting to read. For the March review, we have taxes and Britney and a good read. March Review of Estate Tax News The liberal Democrats have put a tax plan […]
Should You Establish a Special Trust for Your Child?
Let’s talk about a special trust for your child. Not necessarily a “special needs” trust, but a trust for a beneficiary who can not manage their own finances. What’s in a name? Search for information about special needs trusts, and you’ll find plenty of entries. But you’ll also find plenty of confusion. What’s the difference […]
Estate Planning Solicitation Lies to You
Last week we received an estate planning solicitation in the regular (snail) mail at home. It made us very angry. It’s not just that it attempted to solicit our clients for non-lawyer estate planning. The solicitation contained numerous outright lies and wild misrepresentations. In case you received one, too, we’re here to debunk the false […]
