Our Blog - Surety Matters

  It’s here: 2024, and the demographic milestone anticipated to have a major impact on retirement plans (and realities) for Americans. As the phrase “Peak 65” implies, the largest number of Americans ever will turn…
Read Moreabout Understanding Peak 65

  When a trust is created, one or more trustees must be appointed to administer it. Far from being an honorary role, a trustee is obligated to manage the trust in accordance with the terms…
Read Moreabout Trustee Duties: Disclosure and Accountability

  For many people, pets are beloved companions, but in the eyes of the law, cats, dogs, and other feathered, scaly or furry friends, are, in fact, just like jewelry and clothing: personal property. Read…
Read Moreabout Estate Law and Pets?

Given the massive scale (and page count) of SECURE 2.0, it may come as a relief to all the retirement plan sponsors scurrying toward comprehension and compliance that the IRS has begun issuing Q &A…
Read Moreabout IRS Guidance on SECURE 2.0

Working, Gen X Americans, between the ages of 43 and 58, are facing big hurdles on the path to successful retirement. For Gen X, the first generation largely reliant on company sponsored retirement plans and…
Read Moreabout Gen X: Running Behind

Given the relative ease of set-up and their flexibility, revocable trusts are a popular and convenient estate planning tool. Despite the scarier name and implications, however, irrevocable trusts can also turn out to be useful,…
Read Moreabout Irrevocable Trust: Pros and Cons

One of the most important aspects of estate planning is the designation of fiduciaries: the people entrusted to manage our affairs, in accordance with our intentions. Because life takes twists and turns, attorneys advise naming…
Read Moreabout Back Up Plan: Fiduciaries!

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?