
Understanding the Responsibilities of the Trustee
A trustee is a fiduciary which, essentially, is a person that owes a legal, ethical and, perhaps, moral obligation to act in the interest of another.

A trustee is a fiduciary which, essentially, is a person that owes a legal, ethical and, perhaps, moral obligation to act in the interest of another.

Many people have signed at least one power of attorney in their life. A power of attorney, which names a trusted family member, friend or advisor as your ‘attorney-in-fact’ to control your assets, is meant to be used if you are incapacitated.

Creating a will is important for all adults, but particularly those who have dependents—including adult dependents. Adding a trust to your estate plan can provide even more guidance.

Should I terminate these trusts and just have my children as beneficiaries of my investment accounts and life insurance?

This legal document can also be beneficial in other situations, such as if you want to leave an inheritance to someone but aren’t sure they will use the gift wisely.

In general, a last will and testament is an easy and straightforward way to state who gets what when you die and name a guardian for your minor children.

We have seen some step siblings able to all get along fine but they seem to be the exception. More likely, one sibling feels divided loyalty to the birth parent, not the step-parent.

If you do not learn from your mistakes, you are doomed to repeat them. In Estate Planning, if you do not learn from other’s mistakes, you are likely to repeat them.

The new episode of The Estate of The Union podcast is out now. In Episode 5 Brad Wiewel is joined by attorney Ann Lumley, Director