This morning started not unlike most other manic Mondays, except instead of the alarm, it was the almost 6-year-old waking us up to tell us she needed to use our bathroom so as not to wake her still-sleeping sisters, cruelly followed by the first commuter rail train.  Weekday game time!  But then, just as I […]

I originally wrote and posted this in August of 2009 but it somehow disappeared from my blog!  As a colleague recently reproduced and linked to it, I thought I should update and republish it as the song remains the same. “How Much Does A Simple Will Cost?” This is the #1 question for most estate […]

I am honored to have authored a guest blog post for Boston Baby Mama & I invite you to read it over there now:  http://www.bostonbabymama.com  I’ve also copied it below here.  Part I:  The Moment It Occurred To Me That I Was Going To Be A Parent I was about 4 months pregnant and flying […]

Yesterday, my friend and colleague, Candice Aiston, wrote a post over on her blog entitled “Things My Clients Taught Me.”   Candice and I have very similar practice styles and we both approach our work and our clients with deep empathy and compassion.  I enjoy my estate planning work because my clients trust me with their […]

There are some very important differences between testamentary trusts and living trusts that will remain even after the newly-enacted Uniform Probate Code’s relevant provisions take effect here in Massachusetts next summer. 1.    If time is money, then having to wait for your money is a waste of it.  Putting a will and testatmentary trust through […]

You and your spouse want to provide as much as possible towards your child’s future college education.  So you did the responsible thing years ago and started a 529 college savings plan.  But what happens if you and your spouse die while your child is still a minor?  Well, your estate will become the owner […]

I recently read this article from the Financial Tuneup section of the New York Times.  While it makes some very important points, there are also some pieces of advice with which I take strong exception. In response, here is DGVE law’s very own list of estate planning DOs and DON’Ts for you: DO make sure […]

Have you seen trailers for the new Tina Fey & Steve Carrel movie “Date Night?” We saw one the other night and I laughed out loud when, as they’re being chased and fearing for their lives, she thinks to yell out to him, “I don’t want the kids to live with your mother; she’s awful!” […]

No doubt about it, it’s been another rough year for most of us financially. And as we gather our tax forms and anxiously look forward to refunds, we are understanding the appeal of the present value of money. It feels better to have the money now, in our accounts, than to think of it stashed […]

This guest blog post is by my colleague and friend, Michele Allinote, a lawyer in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada: Last Wednesday night, my husband had picked up our children so I was enjoying a rare quiet drive home by myself when I noticed a police cruiser following me. I made a mental note not to pull […]