Marianne Ludlow: Wills, Trusts & Business Law at Parsons Behle & Latimer

06/02/2025

Karol Nawrocki, a historian who has flaunted his ties with the U.S. president, has promised to block a Ukrainian accession to NATO.

06/09/2024

Great reminder about why thinking about AND checking beneficiary designations is so important! Good estate planning brings up those topics.

As millions of Americans build up sizable workplace retirement assets, disputes over who gets the money are on the rise.

08/08/2021

It is difficult to lose a spouse. Besides the grief that is experienced, the survivor must make many financial decisions - some of which have tax consequences. This articles reviews some of those decisions. If you lose a spouse and need assistance ensuring assets are passed down properly, please contact me.

Even amid grief, it's important to reassess your finances. With the loss of your spouse's income, you may find yourself in a lower tax bracket or that you qualify for new deductions or credits.

06/28/2021

Moral of the story: If you want to disinherit a child, then consult an attorney who specialized in this area of the law. In this case, a person wanted to leave his estate to his grandson (rather than his daughter was irresponsible with money and his son who had assaulted him). However, he did the will himself and, after he died, a lawsuit broke out. In the end, the court invalidated the will he did. I can only imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars was spent on court and attorneys fees in this case:

An extraordinary court case shows the law dictates strange results when you don't check all the boxes.

05/28/2021

Are you sending your child off to college this fall?

Do yourself (and your 18-year-old) a favor.

Have your child sign these three documents BEFORE THEY LEAVE:

HIPAA authorization
Healthcare Directive and
Durable power of attorney

Because if something happens to your adult child (ex. they’re in the hospital and can’t talk because they got into a bad car accident) and you don’t have the right documentation...then you’re not privy to their information.

That means you’ll be completely left out of the loop if something bad happens.

That’s not good for any parent. So get those papers signed.

05/21/2021

Grandmas are a pretty big deal.

So much so that people are actually HIRING grandmas to come to their home and help them.

A former tutor for Hollywood children started the company Rent-A-Grandma after hearing endless complaints from celebrity parents not being able to find competent babysitters.

Grandmas have come to the rescue because:
They have already been there, done that, with kids. They won’t be texting the whole time.
They take babysitting seriously.

So if you are a grandma looking for some extra spending money during retirement, this might be a good fit!

05/14/2021

Quick lesson for today:

A trustee manages the trust.
A beneficiary receives from the trust.

05/12/2021

Should you pass down your money to your kids (and grandkids) while you are alive or wait until your death? An interesting discussion about the pros and cons of both.

Is it better to help your children when you’re still alive? Or wait until after you die?

05/07/2021

Did you refinance your home recently?

Did you make sure your home has been PUT BACK into your trust afterwards?

This is an important step people forget!

Once your home has been refinanced, you have to manually put it back into your trust. It won’t go back in there on its own.

So, get it done before you forget again!

04/30/2021

My house has a mortgage...but can I still put it in a trust

Getting your home into a trust can save you BIG TIME - not just in money, but in time.

The answer is YES, you can place real property with a mortgage into a revocable living trust.

However…

You’ll still need to pay your mortgage, whether it’s in a trust or not.

Have questions about trusts? Send us a message anytime.

02/26/2021

We’ve seen it too many times.

Please don’t let it happen to your family.

02/22/2021

Ready to make an estate plan?

There’s five steps to brainstorm before sitting down with an attorney:

👉Make a list.
Jot down everything you own.
Investments, retirement accounts, your house and other real estate, and personal property.
👉Pick your tool.
Do you need a will or a trust?
A TRUST is more private and allows your loved ones to avoid Probate Court (if you own assets individually or as tenants in common) at your passing.
👉Select the trustee.
Find someone you trust.
A trustee is someone who you trust to carry out the plan you put together.
👉Select the receiver.
Who’s going to inherit?
A beneficiary (or a receiver) will be the first in line to receive your estate.
👉FINALIZE!
Time to make it official.

Give us a call!