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Image by M. Gustafson Gervasi, 2013 Earlier this week, while meeting with some long standing clients, the conversation turned to my children's forthcoming venture into "the school years".  Saying good-bye to a nanny, and hello to backpacks and lunch boxes.  And in my mind it also means embracing the fact that they will get sick.  And sick days will present a new challenge -- who stays home?  The clients, who raised four lovely children offered "don't plan for the worst, plan for the best".  To which I chuckled and said "remember, I spend my days planning for people's deaths....planning for the worst is in my blood!" Sick days are in our future, putting both mom and dad on to plan B for the day. Sure, it hasn't happened yet, but it will, and I'm planning for it.  And I do the same with my clients.   That is what estate planning is, at least to me.  It is not something reserved for the upper crust of society. One does not need a s...

My phone chimed, indicating either a text or a New York Times news bulletin.  It was the later, and to my shock, announced the all too soon death of James Gandolfini.  At 51, the star of the superb show The Sopranos was gone.  In the days that have followed the news has covered his career, his funeral, and now his will. My admiration for the actor continues to increase.  Not only did he die with a will, he died with an up-to-date will.  News reports say Gandolfini left upwards of $70 million , including provisions for his 13 year old son from a prior marriage, his current wife, and his infant daughter.  The only detail that struck me as odd was that his sons trust ends at age 21, a relatively young age in my opinion.  Working with clients I often toss out the ages of 25 or 28, and then add the comment that in my will a trust would not end until my youngest is 30. While I may question a relatively young age for termination of a trust, I commend Mr....