If you live in Massachusetts and you can’t find the original deed to your house or other real estate, there’s no real need to worry. As long as that original deed was recorded at a Registry of Deeds or in…
What is a Testamentary Trust and How is it Different from a Living Trust? A “testamentary trust” (or a “T-Trust” for short) is a trust that is written into the terms of your Last Will and Testament. The word “testamentary”…
Add Estate Planning To Your List of Resolutions This Year The New Year means tax season is beginning. Here in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, like every other part of the country, we begin collecting our tax forms and looking for all possible…
“Estate Planning” Isn’t Just for the Rich and Famous. It’s for Everyone. My wife, Nancy, and I were at a favorite ‘watering hole’ here in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, recently and we started a conversation with some great people sitting next to…
5 Massachusetts Estate Planning Dos and Don’ts Attorney Andrew Garcia of SouthCoast Estate Planning offers 5 quick do’s and don’ts when it comes to your Massachusetts estate planing. Don’t name your minor kids as beneficiaries on your insurance policy. If…
Utah Man’s Self-Penned Obituary: Lessons We Can Learn An obituary written by a 59 year old Utah man who died of throat cancer has gone viral. Apparently in his obit, Val Patterson, spoke sweetly of a well-lived life and expressed…
The Importance of the “Story” Behind Life’s “Little Treasures” One of the purposes of writing your will or a living trust is to direct how your property is passed on and to whom. What I’ve found over the years, though,…
The Importance of Writing a Will More than half of Americans die without leaving a will. Without a will or any legal arrangement state laws will control how your assets and finances will be passed onto you loved ones. But…
1. Of or relating to a person who has died without a valid will. 2. One who has died without a will. In Massachusetts when you die without a Will you are said to have died “intestate.” If you die…
Attorney and Cooking Enthusiast Andrew Garcia passes along his recipe for Cooking up a Great Trust. Andrew spells out the necessary steps that a family needs in order to create an effective trust. If you would like to set up…