One of the things that often stalls people when they are contemplating their estate plan is deciding who will get particular items of personal property such as jewelry, artwork, family heirlooms and furniture. Sometimes they will say “they can just sell it all” or “they’ll work it out amongst themselves” (this one sometimes makes me [...]
Estate planning, elder law, special needs, probate, guardianship. Leanna Hamill, Hingham
Blog
-
Leanna Hamill, Attorney at Law, P.C. provides estate planning and related legal services to clients of all ages, with a focus on the needs of older individuals and their families.
Category Archives: Estate Planning
What Makes Us Ready To Change?
There are a lot of things we know are good for us -eating vegetables, exercising, quitting smoking, getting our financial houses in order – and yet we delay doing them. Then, suddenly, we are ready and we start a walking routine, begin keeping a budget, call our attorney to get our wills done, or finally [...]
Choosing The Right Executor for Your Estate
I was quoted in a recent New York Times article on How To Choose the Right Executor for Your Estate, by Deborah Jacobs. An executor is the person responsible for administering the distribution of your estate after you pass away.
Most people think first of naming a family member, especially a spouse or child, as executor. [...]
Estate Planning Changes and Children
If you first drafted your estate plan before you had children, you need to change your Wills and other estate planning documents after the birth or adoption of your children. Here is the list of questions I provide to my clients when they have a new child to help guide them through the changes [...]
Should You Discuss Your Plans with Your Children?
Clients often wonder if they should share their estate plans with their children. Now, these are not clients who are setting up elaborate trusts with millions of dollars that will flow down to future generations, these are just regular people who worked hard all of their lives and are now trying to figure out how [...]
Are Godparents and Guardians The Same Thing?
When we were little I remember knowing my aunt and uncle were our “godparents.” We though this meant that if something happened to our parents, we’d go and live with them. (I also remember thinking that living with our cousins sounded very exciting, not quite realizing what would have occurred to make that necessary.) These [...]
Good Gifts Gone Bad – The Hidden Dangers of Giving Property to Your Children
I often have clients (or client’s children) who ask me – “can’t I just give my property to my child?” Or who say “My mom wants us to inherit her house, isn’t the easiest way to just have her sign a life estate deed?” Sometimes it’s “I’m allowed to give away $10,000.00 per year, right?” [...]
Is Your Attorney Nosy? You Should Hope So
I was bitten by a tick last summer and went to the doctor to have it checked out. The first thing they did, as always, was weigh me and take my blood pressure. I wondered how either of these things were relevant to my tick bite, so I asked. The response, “the [...]
Links of Interest
Here are some recent estate planning articles from around the web. Links will open in a new window, so you can read the articles without losing this page.
…[I]f an individual dies intestate (without a will) the probate courts will determine how to distribute that person’s assets. And although the court system may [...]
How Do I Convince My Parents to Do Their Wills?
This is a very common question that I get from adult children calling my office, friends asking about their parents or that I sometimes ask myself.
While we know that we mean well when we want to make sure our parents have their estate plan in place, I think that what our parents hear is “Hey, [...]
Leanna@HamillLawOffice.com | 160 Old Derby St., Suite 456 | Hingham, Ma 02043 | Phone: 781.749.2284 | Fax: 866.573.6429
Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this web site must be labeled "advertising." It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. By using this site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the attorney. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state. Leanna Hamill is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only.
Advertising. In accordance with rules established by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, this web site must be labeled "advertising." It is designed to provide general information for clients and friends of the firm and should not be construed as legal advice, or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. By using this site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and the attorney. The website should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state. Leanna Hamill is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts only.