Estate Planning

Receiving an inheritance is a profound, often bittersweet, experience. In my near three decades as a financial planner, I've sat at many kitchen tables with clients holding a will from a parent they've just lost. They're grieving, and the last thing on their mind is legal jargon like "probate"...

The couple sat across from me, retirement just a few years away, staring at a $1.4 million problem they didn’t see coming. Their son, who has a disability, was about to inherit $75,000, an amount that would instantly disqualify him from the government benefits that paid for his housing...

The biggest special needs trust changes affecting families in 2026 are not really changes to the basic trust itself. They are changes to the rules around Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and ABLE accounts: food no longer counts as in-kind support and maintenance for SSI, ABLE eligibility expanded to disabilities...

In an age of biometric signatures and blockchain-verified documents, the "deathbed will" feels like a relic. Yet this legal ghost, properly called a nuncupative will, still haunts the margins of U.S. law. It creates false hope for grieving families and, more often than not, leads to bitter court disputes...

When a loved one’s will feels like a betrayal of their true intentions, the sense of injustice is overwhelming. Challenging that document, or contesting a will in court often seems like the only path to setting things right. But as a financial planner with three decades of "scar tissue," I...

In my 25+ years as a financial planner, I’ve seen very few things cause as much preventable chaos and heartbreak as a missing will. Here’s a sobering fact to start: a recent survey found that a staggering 68% of Americans do not have a will. This means nearly two...

In 30 years of financial advising, I've watched a predictable tragedy unfold: 57% of Americans die without a will according to the Gallup Estate Planning Survey, and their families face 12-18 months of probate court, $8,000-$15,000 in legal fees, and bitter disputes over inheritance according to the American Bar...

Receiving an inheritance is one of life's most profound and challenging moments. You're navigating grief while suddenly facing complex financial decisions that feel monumental. As a financial planner for almost 3 decades, I've sat at many kitchen tables with families in this exact position. The most common feeling? Overwhelmed....