Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
Taking the Sting Out of Death Taxes with Dylan Metzner, Jones & Keller
Basics of Estate Planning
The Case of the Disappearing Trust
It is a rare day that the Court of Appeals, New York’s highest Court, deals with trust and estate matters, let alone something as granular as the validity of an in terrorem clause. But speaketh they did, on April 17, 2025,...more
Estate planning is not a task that often comes to mind for those who are newlyweds or those parents who are in the midst of raising young children. Either you’re still enjoying the post-wedding excitement and promise of a new...more
Welcome to The Verdict: Estate Planning Through Film. I'm Hons Yung, and today I’m joined by Farella Senior Associate Taylor Porter to discuss the movie Mamma Mia! With ABBA's blend of pop, rock, and disco setting the tone,...more
Now that Pennsylvania recognizes directed trusts, corporate fiduciaries should be aware that sharing trust responsibilities could create both legal liability and administrative burdens. The law, which went into effect late...more
Applying for Medicaid benefits, particularly long-term care benefits, can be difficult and confusing. Yet, it is a necessary evil for many who rely on Medicaid to ensure that they can afford the room, board, care, and...more
The United States is on the brink of the largest transition of wealth in its history, known as the “Great Wealth Transfer.” By 2045, an estimated $84 trillion in assets will be transferred from baby-boomers to their heirs. In...more
When an employee unexpectedly dies, the employer’s first instinct often is to take steps to assist his or her family, and to minimize any financial disruption associated with the death. While these goals are laudable,...more
Justice Stephen Field wrote for a unanimous Supreme Court in the 1869 case of United States v. Kirby that “The reason of the law . . . should prevail over its letter.” Justice Field wrote these words in support of a decision...more
In the late 19th century, death was almost fashionable. Funerals were well attended and even rivaled weddings in their splendor and expense. Department stores offered an array of luxury clothing for grieving mothers and...more
Prior to the distribution of an estate by an executor to its beneficiaries, an executor must prepare an accounting which outlines the assets of an estate, its liabilities, and the expenses paid by an estate prior to actual...more
The Cayman Islands is a leading jurisdiction in the establishment and management of trusts; this is highlighted by the variety of structures that can be utilised, including the flexible discretionary trust and STAR trusts,...more
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued an order on April 14, 2025, blocking DHS’s March 25, 2025, decision to terminate Humanitarian Parole for individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela paroled into the...more
Divorce is a major life change that affects far more than just your relationship status. One crucial—but often overlooked—aspect that needs immediate attention after a divorce is your estate plan. Failing to update your...more
When is the executor nominated by the decedent in a will deemed unfit to serve as executor? Rarely – but a recent decision in Surrogates Court set forth the standard and deemed the nominated executor in that case unfit to...more
While second marriages represent a fresh start and an exciting journey, consider the potential financial and legal outcomes before you re-tie the knot. A prenuptial agreement (prenup), a contract that outlines both spouses’...more
Before shifting my practice from estate planning to estate litigation, I witnessed up close the challenges and frustrations associated with the California probate process. That has changed for many Californians. Assembly Bill...more
For the purposes of determining the incidence of costs under Buckton, the fact that the relief sought is strenuously opposed by a party and comments are traded that some might perceive as "hostile" does not mean that a...more
The April 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is 0.40% less than the March 2025 rate. The April applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with a...more
In In re Estate of Johnson, an administrator and a third party appealed the trial court’s judgment setting aside the probate of the decedent’s will, removing the administrator, and voiding the sale of an estate asset to the...more
Assume sole trustee of an irrevocable discretionary trust for benefit of deceased settlor’s descendants living from time to time suffers a sudden unforeseen mental disability that causes trustee to imprudently administer the...more
In In re Estate of Carr, the court of appeals dismissed an appeal from a probate court order due to a lack of jurisdiction. No. 04-23-00287-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 7827 (Tex. App.—San Antonio November 6, 2024, no pet....more
In In re Troy S. Poe Trust, a co-trustee of a trust filed suit to modify the trust to increase the number of trustees and change the method for trustees to vote on issues as well as other modifications, including, incredibly,...more
In In re Estate of Brown, a charity offered a copy of will to probate. No. 23-0258, 2024 Tex. LEXIS 684 (Tex. August 30, 2024). An attorney offered unsworn testimony regarding the reason for the nonproduction of the original...more
The recent death of legendary actor, Gene Hackman, age 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, age 65, has brought attention to the complexities surrounding their estate and illustrates the need for proper estate planning. At his...more
Two recent Michigan Court of Appeals cases delve into what it takes to successfully pursue an undue influence claim. In re Sherrod Estate, No 369863, 2025 WL 855275 (Mich Ct App Mar 18, 2025) (unpublished) and In re Estate of...more