When it comes to estate planning, most people think of streams of income that are typical, such as current employment, retirement plans, and bank accounts. These obviously need to be included. But, there are other, less obvious types of income that some people forget. When you work with an experienced Stratford estate planning attorney, they...

I’ve worked with many Milford grandparents interested in leaving a legacy behind for their grandchildren. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them they could be causing more harm than good if they aren’t careful. Imagine this for a moment; what would you have done if you were given a large sum of...

Adding your child to your bank  account seems like common sense so they can help with paying bills. This is convenient, but what people often don’t realize is that the child will have more authority than to just sign checks. Adding your child to your bank account means that they legally own half of the...

It’s a common story among blended families: an aging parent becomes ill and the parent’s biological children clash with the parent’s spouse. While some of these disagreements are generally small, there are times when the disagreements are not only great, but the child also fears for the parent’s health and safety. Even though spouses have...

One thing that surprises many of my clients is that Powers of Attorney are necessary even for married couples. People automatically assume that their spouse will be able to handle everything on their behalf if they become incapacitated. This is not usually the case. A Power of Attorney is a legal document that appoints an...

Milford estate planning attorneys know, a divorce changes everything. If you are in the process of divorce or just finishing up, you are most likely busy trying to readjust to your new life. Although it’s a hectic time, it is important that you do not forget that you need to update your estate plan. Here...

When most people think about estate planning, they picture money and property. But, as a Stratford will and trust lawyer, I see more and more people adding intangible assets to their estate plan. Intangible assets might be things that have no monetary value, but are nonetheless important to the family. They may include personal letters,...

Picture this – you get an opportunity to spend some alone time with your spouse. What do you do to prepare for date night? You carefully select a babysitter. Then, you write detailed instructions; when to feed the baby, how often to change diapers, what snacks are allowed…and you leave a myriad of contact information...

Unfortunately, many parents of children with special needs wait until their child turns 18 to consider creating a Special Needs Trust. Sometimes, they even wait until their child eventually needs government benefits like SSI or Medicaid. However, Special Needs Trusts do a lot more than just protect the beneficiary’s access to government benefits and should...

The number of adult children caring for their elderly parents is growing at a very fast pace. If you are a baby boomer and not already caring for an elderly parent, chances are high that you might be facing this situation soon.  It isn’t always easy to know when, or how, to step in to...