Our Blog - Surety Matters

  Estate planning is not only about having bags of money to give away. Practically everyone needs a will to ensure affairs are left as organized as possible for loved ones. A complete estate plan…
Read Moreabout Everyone Needs An Estate Plan

  Global mobility and international business means families and friends are increasingly spread across the world. When making an estate plan, if assets are owned in one country but intended for beneficiaries in other countries,…
Read Moreabout International Will?

  Sometimes the “older old,” who still have memories of the Great Depression, as well as individuals who suffer with dementia or other illnesses, cling to and hide cash or other tangible valuables, leading to…
Read Moreabout Stashed Cash?

  Because a trust allows for the distribution of funds at designated intervals, establishing a trust that includes plans for pets is a very useful way to ensure furry friends receive continuous care. When earmarking…
Read Moreabout Pet Trust: Details Please

  Revocable trusts, sometimes referred to as “living trusts,” can accomplish a lot, and therefore often play a foundational role in estate plans. Assets placed in revocable trusts by-pass the public process of probate, ensuring…
Read Moreabout Pros and Cons of Revocable Trusts 

  While it’s important for every adult to have an estate plan, those who own businesses need to go even further, integrating personal estate planning with a succession plan that details how a business will…
Read Moreabout Questions for Business Owners

  Leaving loved ones from the next generation even a little better off is a goal shared by all working parents. Analysis of inheritance trends reveals that most are indeed managing to pass some level…
Read Moreabout Inheritance: How Much?

  When a home with an outstanding mortgage is gifted as part of an estate plan, the debt does not just evaporate upon the death of the owner. Even so, family homes are often the…
Read Moreabout Inheriting A Home–and The Mortgage

  Adding adult children to accounts (aka “joint tenancy”) is one way to allow assets to pass on to them expediently, without going through the public process of probate, upon your death. Joint tenancy is…
Read Moreabout Joint Accounts and Probate?