Confused about Trusts? Let’s Talk About Buckets Instead

Across the board, legal documents can be confusing. Just think about the paperwork needed to take out a mortgage – the legalese is overwhelming. And the same is true about trusts. Even the best document drafters can’t eliminate all the technical language in a trust document. Add to that all the different types of trusts – RLT, ILIT, IDGT, GRAT, … Read More

The Planning Effect

John-Doe-in-Hospital-with-Stressed-Wife

Sitting bedside with her husband after his stroke, Jane is talking with the discharge planner for the local hospital. After discussing the level of care John will need, Jane and the planner have decided that the nursing home connected with the hospital is the only viable option for John’s needs. Now Jane needs to visit the nursing home and figure out how she will pay for John’s care. [Read More]

I Digress: What is a “Money Story”?

I attended a conference in July of this year where I had the chance to listen to an unscripted conversation between a counselor and a married couple. Their conversation was focused around what the counselor called the couple’s “money story.” But what is a money story? [Read More]

“Map of My Kingdom” – A Play Review and Response

It’s not often that an estate planner is the hero of any story, and estate planning is second only to tax law as the least exciting subject for story telling. But I think maybe that’s what makes “Map of My Kingdom” so impressive. Writer Mary Swander, Actress Cora Vander Broek-Brumlow, and director Matt Foss take an otherwise boring topic and make you love each hero and hate each villain. [Read More]