Our attorney is happy to share what he has learned about estate planning and elder law in Massachusetts in these thoughtful blog posts. Take advantage of his experience and knowledge no matter where you are in the planning process yourself.

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  • New Rules Will Impact Veteran’s Aid The Veteran’s Administration, commonly referred to as the VA, announced three years ago that the rules for qualifying for Veteran’s Aid and pension benefits would be changing. It has taken longer than anticipated to finalize the proposed rules which will be going into effect on October 30, 2018. These rules will make qualifying for certain …
    Date: 10/19/2018 Category: Elder Law
  • What is a Lady Bird Deed? A “Lady Bird deed” is a way to transfer property to someone else outside of probate while retaining a life estate in the property. This type of deed got its nickname when President Lyndon B. Johnson used it to convey property to his wife, Lady Bird Johnson.  In Massachusetts, it is more commonly known as …
    Date: 10/11/2018 Category: Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
  • How to Transfer Wealth Using GRATs (Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts) A low-risk tool to transfer wealth and help mitigate taxation is called a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT).  GRATs have several advantages: -they can eliminate gift tax liability on transfers to family members -they have minimal legal and administrative costs -grantors can exchange assets with the GRAT without income tax or capital gains consequences -they …
    Date: 10/04/2018 Category: Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
  • What is a Spendthrift Provision? A “spendthrift provision” is a clause in a Trust or a Will, enforceable under Massachusetts law,  that protects a beneficiary against a creditor attaching prior debts against the beneficiary’s inheritance as well as preventing the beneficiary from acquiring debt based on the future inheritance. The protection offered by a spendthrift provision prevents a beneficiary’s creditors …
    Date: 09/29/2018 Category: Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning
  • Compare Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) in Massachusetts Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are springing up all over the country because they meet a very big need for the aging population. Massachusetts has many of these communities throughout the state. They provide a way for seniors to “age in place” meaning that they start in the independent section of the community and gradually …
    Date: 09/20/2018 Category: Elder Law