MEREDITH | PC

The idea of one-size-fits-all no longer fits a world where people expect products and services to be tailored to their individual preferences. The estate planning world, long rooted in tradition, has relied on time-tested tools such as trusts to plan for what happens to a person’s money and property. However, a nontraditional variation known as a directed trust […]

  If you have been named the person responsible for settling a deceased loved one’s affairs, commonly called an executor or personal representative (if your loved one had no estate plan or had a will) or a successor trustee (if they had a trust), you may find yourself overwhelmed by grief and a growing list of responsibilities. As […]

Receiving an inheritance, whether large or small, often comes with a wide range of emotions, from the grief of losing a loved one to the hope and excitement about the possibilities the inheritance may create. According to Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning & Progress study, over half (57 percent) of Americans who expect to receive an inheritance view it […]

From the moment a child is born, a parent feels an instinctive drive to protect and nurture. We childproof our homes, carefully choose schools, offer guidance through adolescence, support their careers, and watch with pride as they start their own lives. The desire to be there for them extends beyond emotional and physical care. Finances also play a […]

  The course stretches out around you, lush and perfectly manicured. You step up to the ball, take a few practice swings, and inhale the morning air. It is a shot you have made hundreds of times. But years of playing golf have taught you that there is no guarantee you will hit it right this time. Today […]

  Imagine the following scenario: You have been living in a house for years. As your mother’s sole heir, you inherited it from her when she passed away. You pay the taxes and insurance. You make the repairs and mow the lawn. You call it home, and everyone in the family calls it “yours.” However, when you decide […]

  Many estate plans today include trusts that become irrevocable upon the trustmaker’s death and continue for the benefit of a surviving spouse, children, or other loved ones. Some trusts are designed to span multiple generations. For example, a trust may leave an inheritance to a surviving spouse, then upon the surviving spouse’s death to their children, and […]

  The bad news: When a person dies owning property in their sole name without a beneficiary, their loved ones will have to go through a court-supervised process called probate to transfer the property out of the deceased person’s name and into the name of intended beneficiaries or heirs at law. Going through probate court may lead to […]

  Today, many people use a revocable living trust instead of a will, joint ownership, or beneficiary designation as the foundation of their estate plan. When properly prepared, a trust avoids the costly public, and often time-consuming, court processes of conservatorship or guardianship (due to incapacity) or probate (after death). Still, many people make one big mistake that […]

  A revocable living trust can serve as a valuable estate planning tool to help ensure that your finances remain well managed if you become incapacitated (unable to manage your affairs while you are alive) and to provide future financial security for your loved ones upon your passing. However, merely signing the trust agreement does not complete the […]