Our Blog - Surety Matters

  Marrying again later in life? Beautiful! Do talk about your hopes for how assets are to be shared with loved ones when you die. Better yet, experts say, make a plan. Don’t forget to…
Read Moreabout Second Marriage? Estate Planning Tips

  Gallup’s latest poll indicates that despite the traumatic lessons of the pandemic, the percentage of American’s who have created a will has remained about the same for the past three decades. Here are the…
Read Moreabout Wills: Make One?

  Each state has its own procedures and laws for the probate process, though the end goal is the same: transferring assets out of the deceased person’s name to heirs or beneficiaries. When there is…
Read Moreabout What Are The Steps of Probate?

If you have made a will—great! Now, don’t forget to periodically review it. In addition to making sure it still reflects your assets and intentions, you may note errors that you previously did not spot….
Read Moreabout Correcting A Will?

Trusts can be an important way to provide for children, or other family members with special needs upon your death. When you create a trust, you can make choices about how the disbursements are to…
Read Moreabout Trust Distributions?

When the artist Robert Indiana died in 2018, his wish was for his old home in Maine to be converted to a museum so that his artistic vision would continue to inspire future generations. Sadly,…
Read Moreabout Courtroom Hostilities Cost Artist’s Estate Millions

Congratulations on your new job! With your letter of hire in hand, don’t get so immersed in your new life that you fluff over the forms that come with new benefits. For example, take the…
Read Moreabout New Job? Beneficiary Designations

  Congratulations: your time is now your own! When you exit the grind, it’s a good idea to re-assess your estate plan. After all, some of the assumptions you previously made about assets and needs…
Read Moreabout Retiring? Update Your Plans

Life partners who do not have a marriage certificate but hope to leave assets to each other should take special care to put a will in place. Without a will, you risk not inheriting from…
Read Moreabout Unmarried Life Partners? Make a Will!