A periodic dispatch on estate planning…and the places it quietly goes sideways
LATEST ISSUE
EDITOR’S NOTE
Thanks for taking a minute to take a look.
This isn’t meant to be heavy. Just useful… with maybe a chuckle or two along the way.
Because here’s the truth:
Most estate plans don’t fail on paper.
They fail in real life—at the worst possible moment, with the wrong people, asking the wrong questions.
The stories are fictional.
The situations are not.
So with that said…
add a little GEL, a touch of AquaNet—
and let’s make it a Good Heir Day.
Inherited Home Inadvertently Converts Grief Into Multiple Misdemeanors
Transfer-On-Death Deed answers one question. Family discovers there were several others.
RECENT REPORTS
Family Discovers “Avoiding Probate” Was Not, Technically, An Estate Plan
Area man leaves behind 14 beneficiary designations, zero instructions, and “a pretty good spreadsheet”
Family members of local retiree Dennis H reportedly learned this week that “avoiding probate” and “having an estate plan” are not, in fact , interchangeable concepts.
Local Man’s Estate Plan Consists Entirely of “They Know What I Want”
Family members confirm they do not, in fact, “know what he wants”
Area resident Mark Ellison, 58, confirmed this week that his estate plan is “basically handled,” citing a long-standing understanding that his family “knows what to do.”
The Man Whose Estate Plan Was “Not to Die”
A reminder that immortality isn’t a valid estate strategy
Harold showed up with a one-page plan: “Not to die.”
His attorney…. had notes.
Local Family Shocked to Learn Dad’s “Trust” Meant a Legal Document, Not an Emotion
Sometimes the conversation is heartfelt. The document is not.
The Harper family thought they were having a heartfelt conversation about “trust.” Turns out…it was about a trust.
Family Inherits Successful Business, Searches Frantically for Instructions
Employees report owner’s succession plan consisted primarily of confidence