Expert legal help is a good idea during estate planning, while navigating probate as a personal representative, or when serving as a trustee. Here are examples of the legal processes attorneys can guide you through, depending on your circumstances.  Different Legal Processes Although many attorneys can help with a variety of needs ranging from estate planning, to probate procedures and trust administration, it’s important to understand that these areas do in fact involve different legal processes: Estate planning attorneys focus on creating a plan to manage a person’s money, proper ..read more

  Just as the title expresses, the role of executor is to carry out the intentions of the testator (aka person creating a will), so generally, executors do not volunteer their own discretion while fulfilling their duties. However, ambiguities in a will, or other extenuating circumstances may occasionally leave the executor with some judgment calls.   Clarity In The Will Is Best When a Last Will and Testament (aka Will) is written, it’s important to provide as much clarity as possible for beneficiaries as well as the executor:   As the name implies, the role of the executor is to ..read more

  Given the investment involved in finding, onboarding and retaining excellent employees, “one and done” interviews (“OK, start tomorrow”) are not the way to go, even if you are desperate and the candidate seems terrific. Effective hiring requires establishing and sticking to a process. Here are tips for building a great team.   Effective Hiring Practices We’ve all been there. Work is heating up. Help is desperately needed. You luck into someone and voila, problem solved. Except that a week or two later, things aren’t working out well at all. Though there is no such thing as “fool pr ..read more

  That’s the trend in the United States, where fewer births and longer lives are resulting in lots of tense conversation about retirement savings. Will we make it? Some experts say it’s time to push back the retirement age. Indeed, more people are continuing to work into their seventies, or even to return after retiring, despite the prevalence of ageism.  Rethinking Age in the Workplace Much of the current conversation at the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) is revolving around the implications of longer lifespans, and recently, Mauro Guillen, of the Wharton School, under ..read more

  How many of your current employees would change jobs in a heartbeat if offered better benefits at a different company? A survey conducted by TIAA’s Nuveen offers this answer: 7 in 10. Specifically, employees are looking for benefits tailored to their life stage, and expect effective communication that helps them leverage the offerings.   What Workers Want Employees don’t just want benefits. They want benefits that respond to their needs at different life stages, and value employers that offer inclusive options:   After surveying 1,500 full-time U.S. workers, Nuveen, a TIAA com ..read more

Perhaps not surprisingly, employees are often more concerned with accomplishing their tasks quickly, than with workplace cybersecurity. As a result, many, knowingly or not, are going around “cumbersome” cybersecurity protocols. Use of unapproved apps and devices is further exacerbating the cybersecurity efforts of businesses.   Performance Pressure Productivity demands coupled with the desire for life-work-balance, contribute to employee zest for quickly leveraging the latest technology, whether or not “company approved.” The result? Ever more cyber threats for businesses to navigate. Con ..read more

  As fiduciaries, plan sponsors must take an active role in overseeing the plan, even when outsourcing. Here are examples of best practices for plan sponsors related to keeping all participants engaged and informed, avoiding the dangerous problems associated with missing participants, and ensuring protection for the plan, the company–and themselves. Engaged and Involved Participants Of course the whole point of a company sponsored retirement plan is to help employees save for retirement. The trend toward longer lives–and higher costs of living–makes the mission of retirement plans ever mo ..read more

  If you’ve made an estate plan, good for you: you’re ahead of many people in gifting your family (and yourself) with peace of mind. However, keep in mind, estate planning is not a “once and done” project. Life changes, circumstances change, assets change and people change. Here’s a checklist to use when updating your plan every 3-5 years.   Life Events and Routine Shifts Too It stands to reason that big life events typically necessitate adjustments to estate plans. New baby in the family? Children hitting adulthood? Marriage? Divorce? Business started up or sold off? Real estate pur ..read more

  Under the eyes of the law, trusts are separate and unique entities, and this is why they are incredibly useful estate planning tools. Trusts can be set up to accomplish a variety of goals. All trusts involve a trustor, one or more beneficiaries and one or more trustees.   Understanding Trust Basics It does take time, intention and the help of a thoughtful attorney to establish a trust, making the process a bit more intensive then writing a will. However, because trusts can be set up to specifically address a variety of goals, they can prove to be a solid anchor of estate plans. Est ..read more

  As incidents of extreme weather continue to make news around the country, it’s clear that many of our surface transportation systems are not up to the challenge. Increasing resilience in the face of everything from floods, to rising sea levels and heat waves has become an increasingly important goal–and the U.S. DOT has committed funds.  $830 Million Federal Commitment Eighty projects to make “transportation systems more resilient to extreme weather” have been targeted to receive a total of $830 million from The Department of Transportation. The funds are unique in that they are th ..read more