My parents moved to a new house in a new state 30 years ago. For some reason, they put the house in my mom's name only. I think it might have been to lower state estate taxes, but their state doesn't currently have any estate taxes (and their estate is definitely lower than the $13.99 million federal limit for 2025). In the past 30 years, the house has appreciated considerably.
Jane Coogan is a Partner at Coogan Smith, LLP, based in Attleboro, Massachusetts. A trusted solicitor with more than 15 years of experience, she specializes in estate planning, business formation, succession planning, and probate and estate administration. Her approach blends technical expertise with empathy, helping clients navigate complex legal and personal decisions with confidence and care. Born and raised in Attleboro, Jane is deeply rooted in the community she serves.
Not to be a Nosy Nelly, but in this investment environment, I have my MBA accounting and finance students watching investments that have motion. The age-old expression that accounting and finance students can quote in their sleep is that cash is king. And from the looks of things, Paris Hilton is proving that saying to be right. It's not uncommon for homeowners, whether high-net-worth or not, to refinance their homes for liquidity or investment flexibility.
Joe Fulton (Bill Sage), a filmmaker referred to as "the quiet and unassuming elder statesman of American romantic comedies," decides to prepare his last will and testament while also jockeying for a job as a cemetery groundskeeper. The timing of his estate planning combined with the drastic professional pivot concerns some of the people in Joe's life, most of whom assume that he's near death.
It should go without saying that when you are looking for an attorney to set up your estate plan, especially if you have children you want to pass along money or possessions to, you need to feel absolutely comfortable that whatever documents are set up are done with your best interest in mind. There is no question that what this original lawyer did to this Redditor is both morally and ethically wrong.
Q: I have been investing for decades, and I now want to transition into a safe, non-volatile, income producing account without penalties or capital gains. What are my options? A: Who wouldn't want a consistent return without risk or capital gains taxes? Sadly, this doesn't exist. If you seek safety, consider a money market fund, a CD, or treasury bills. Once the Fed starts to cut interest rates, which could be any day, rates on these investments will start to drop.
My first marriage left me a wealthy widow where we had several vacation homes but sadly no children. My second husband has two adult sons and a thriving business that is basically his third child. Despite us both being retired, he is still very involved in the business. Neither of his sons ever showed interest in taking over, so my husband has been approaching his lifelong employee, "Mike," to take over.
"I was shocked that this process was so hard. It's paper-driven. It's archaic. You're googling to-do lists that are not helpful. You're calling attorneys who might do a sliver of the work, and they cost thousands and thousands of dollars."
