Why Should I Have a Will?
There are several reasons you should have a will...
7
02, 2014
7
02, 2014
Section 8 Tenants
If a landlord does not accept a Section 8 Tenant, he or she can be sued for discrimination. If he/she accepts the tenant, and the tenant violates the lease and the landlord notifies the housing authority of the violation, they will freeze the tenant's voucher (essentially making the tenant unable to move). The landlord then will need to file for eviction and go through the court process. The housing authority review process takes 8-12 months,
23
05, 2013
The Five Components of A Good Estate Plan
Many people believe that if they have a will, their estate planning is complete, but there is much more to a solid estate plan. A good plan should be designed to avoid probate, save on estate taxes, protect assets if you need to move into a nursing home, and appoint someone to act for you if you become disabled. All estate plans should include, at minimum, two important estate planning instruments: a durable power of
26
10, 2012
Contracts can be your friend
We have many business clients who are hesitant to consider asking customers to sign contracts. But, we have yet to see a client who has regretted using one! Too often this begins with a story about how long the relationship with the customer has been working just fine... or how the customer fears that anything in writing will scare business away. But, if you take time to truly understand what it is that you do, and
26
10, 2012
Economy Got You Down’? Remember the Permit Extension Law is Here to Help!
For once, the phrase, "just my luck" does not have a negative connotation, thanks to Section 173 of Chapter 240 of the Acts of 2010. There must have been p l e n t y of developers who realized they could not build their project (after years of permitting), because the economy took a dive during the process. How devastating it must have been to realize that proceeding would only result in further losses. That
3
08, 2012
Deeding Your Home into a Trust?
If you haven't done this yourself already, you've probably at least overheard someone bragging about transferring their real estate into Trust. After all, it has become one of the most efficient methods of limiting liability and transferring wealth to family members, while also avoiding the lengthy and ever-more-expensive probate process. But, it's not that simple! For one thing, most people are indebted to a bank / have a mortgage. And, there are federal guidelines that
25
07, 2011
Creditor Claims Against an Estate
Can a creditor file a lawsuit against a decedent? If so, how does she do so? A close reading of G.L. c. 197, s. 9(a) indicates that, in order to "perfect" his claims against the estate in a timely manner, a typical creditor of a decedent (i.e., one other than MassHealth, the IRS, the DOR, etc.) must: (1) BOTH (a) file suit against the executor/administrator of the estate AND (b) serve process with respect to