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Estate Planning - Does Your Filing System Make Sense By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi June 14, 2021 What makes sense to you today does not mean it will make sense to others or even to yourself a few years down the road.  This is problematic for your important documents, including your estate plan.  A half-dozen years or so ago I answered my phone to hear a client having a mini-panic attack.  We had worked together a year or two prior, and now the client simply could not find the estate plan we had created. "I looked EVERYWHERE!  It's not under A for Attorney.  It's not under E for Estate Plan.  And it's not under W for Will!  I guess I am going to need you to redraft everything for me......"  With a sigh the client scheduled a meeting for the following week.  Fifteen minutes later the client called back, this time with joy.  "I found it! It was under D for Death!!!!" Here are a few take-aways from that client call: Not being able to find you...

Estate Planning in the Age of Misinformation By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi June 7, 2021 As the academic year comes to a close, I reflect on the many concepts my children studied during a year of virtual learning.  Math has gone from numbers the symbols used in geometry and algebra and social studies as moved beyond memorized State Capitals to more in-depth critical analysis skills.  Primarily the validity of source information.   As my daughter finishes her elementary school years I read along as she studied the last novel of her 5th grade education -- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.  Published by Puffin Modern Classics in 1978 the book plunges the reader into a mystery surrounding the will of an eccentric millionaire who lived in town.  Sixteen named heirs compete with each other to determine who killed the testator, Sam Westin, with the winner set to claim the $200 million estate.  Well I wasn't 5 pages into the book and rolling my lawyer eyes at th...

When to Update an Estate Plan By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi June 1, 2021 Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi 2021 June has arrived.  Gone are the drab brownish lawns and tree branches.  Lush green foliage is juxtaposed by the light blue skies.  When you live in Madison, Wisconsin, with is harsh winters and drastically different seasons, you tend to stop and appreciate when the verdant landscape arrives on your doorstep.  June also ushers in three common life events that illustrate times when it may be appropriate to update your estate planning documents: Graduations -- has a younger person in your life reached a more mature life stage to allow them to serve as your health care agent, personal representative, etc; Weddings -- has someone nominated in your estate plan had a name change?  If it has been "awhile" since you updated your documents, this name change may be the extra nudge towards updating your documents; and Retirements -- have you moved out of state?  I...