Our Blog - Surety Matters

Courts frequently require the person appointed to handle the affairs of the deceased to obtain a probate bond, which acts as a guarantee that debts and assets will be properly handled in accordance with state…
Read Moreabout Probate Bonds Explained

When a will is created, an in terrorem clause, also referred to as a no-contest clause, can be included to prevent disputes about the provisions made in the will. Because disputes can drain time and…
Read Moreabout In Terrorem Clause?

The process of probate is somewhat like a funnel: upon death, assets pass through, so that decisions about where they end up are formalized, publicly and on the record. However, if beneficiaries have been named…
Read Moreabout Probate Vs NonProbate Assets?

Good news still happens, and sometimes in very unexpected ways, as folks in Hinsdale, New Hampshire learned, upon the death of Geoffrey Holt, a long time resident, who lived in a mobile home park. When…
Read Moreabout Heartwarming Estate Plan

Winter, along with festivities, offers families time for quiet togetherness, which can be well used to make or update estate plans and communicate about them too. Though doing so may feel difficult, having the basics…
Read Moreabout Estate Planning: Tis The Season

Two real life stories underscore the importance of making plans for our assets before it’s too late. If we are lucky to have more money than we can spend in our lifetimes, our generosity can…
Read Moreabout Feeling Thankful–and Lucky?

Although it can be said that every type of trust has a purpose, in that it exists to accomplish the goals of the trustor who established it, not every trust is actually a purpose trust….
Read Moreabout Purpose Trusts?

  Ideally, careful estate planning results in a valid will, and likely a trust too, as well as communication of intentions and designation of a fiduciary, such as an executor or trustee, to carry out…
Read Moreabout Timing’s Everything: Probate Disputes

One way or another, someone has to close out our affairs when we die, and this person is a fiduciary, with legal obligations to carry out duties in the best interest of the estate and…
Read Moreabout Professional Fiduciary?