It’s not very often that I see an estate plan that treats children unequally. When I do, it is usually because a parent is estranged from one child and leaves him or her nothing. In estate planning, “equal” isn’t necessarily the same as “fair.” Recently, a client I’ll...
Based on my experience, American societal money scripts around estate planning appear to be “Good parents leave everything to family,” and “The more money I can leave my kids the better off they will be.” It’s not surprising, then, that estate...
We’ve made it to the middle of January, that time of year that is the graveyard for so many New Year’s resolutions. Even if you abandon any other resolutions you may have made, though, please consider carrying out a very important one. Resolve to make a...
Does the executor of an estate deserve to be compensated for that service? Absolutely. As last week’s column pointed out, serving as an executor is often a time-consuming, emotionally draining task. Yet the issue of payment for an executor, especially one who is...
I recently heard from a former client who wanted to reengage our services. Naturally, I asked her why. “I was named the executor of my father’s estate last year, and I now have a huge appreciation for what you do.” Whether one is named as the executor or...
