Our Blog - Surety Matters

An Illinois probate court is trying to sort out who has the rights to the estate of outsider artist Henry Darger—and has so far found “lots of holes” in the court documents. When Darger, died…
Read Moreabout Lots of Holes: The Estate of Henry Darger

  Plan sponsors are obligated to ensure participants receive their benefits on schedule. This includes following the Department of Labor’s guidance for arranging for missing participants to receive their requirement minimum distributions. Failure to make…
Read Moreabout Missing Participants and Minimum Distributions?

The American Bar Association (ABA) advises retirement plan sponsors and administrators to pay more attention to cybersecurity. Specifically, sponsors and other fiduciaries are urged to heed the expanding body of litigation occurring at the intersection…
Read Moreabout Intersecting: ERISA Law and Cybersecurity

  What might it look like if a lawsuit alleging excessive fees—and failure to adequately monitor service providers—landed on your desk? For starters, piles of plan documents and records—including minutes from meetings about the plan—would…
Read Moreabout Ready?

  Law experts explain the uptick of class action suits alleging mismanagement of retirement plans by fiduciaries. Although courts have dismissed a few of the cases, most of the motions to dismiss have been denied….
Read Moreabout Summing Up: ERISA Litigation

  Executing the will and affairs of a deceased loved one has always been challenging—and cyber crime is making it even more so.  Attention to digital accounts, assets and passwords is increasingly important, as is…
Read Moreabout Insights for Executors: Identity Protection

  Sure, go for it. Establishing a pet trust ensures that your pet is cared for when you are no longer able to do so. Although informal arrangements with friends or family members are well-intended,…
Read Moreabout Pet Trust?

  Even diligent estate planning efforts cannot possibly cover every potential circumstance that could challenge our loved ones down the road. A child could suffer an accident, a lawsuit could threaten savings, a hurricane could…
Read Moreabout Estate Planning: Power of Appointment?

  Iowa is exploring the establishment of two new specialty probate courts. In anticipation of an unprecedented transfer of wealth as the population ages, some experts believe specialty courts can play a critical role in…
Read Moreabout Probate Law: Specialty Courts In Iowa?