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 Looking for A Solid Estate Plan?  Who You Appoint is Key By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi January 30, 2025 As I approach my 20th anniversary of operating an estate planning and probate practice I find my mind cataloging lessons I have learned along this journey.  There is the flippant quip that the word deceased is typed entirely with my left hand.  Interesting, but not of much value in terms of passing along wisdom. Which brings me to today’s blog post.  Without doubt, a primary motivator for my clients creating or updating an estate plan is to have things in order so that their death is as easy as possible on their loved ones.  Just this week a client asked for my opinion on a decision, stating “I’ve never died before, so this is all new to me….what do you think?”  Well, I have not died before either, but for two decades I have paired my estate planning work with a practice administering probates and trusts.  My take-away has been that far more tha...

Don't Let Frugality Complicate Your Estate By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi January 21, 2025 It's waiting for that lazy morning when I have time to bake..... A piece of satire from our neighbors to the North recently popped up in my social media feed.  Woman with freezer full of overripe bananas dies never having made banana bread – the algorithm decided this 2017 piece from The Beaverton (Canada’s version of The Onion) should rise to the top of digital articles waiting for my eyes.  So yes, the algorithm nailed it.  In my professional world I tend to read about end of life regrets and assorted issues; I’ve been practicing estate planning and probate law for 20 years.  And in my personal life, I have a freezer full of ripe bananas waiting for the one lazy morning when I have time to bake. Show of hands – who else stashes useful items away for the proverbial rainy day.  Bananas in the freezer?  Check.  Twist ties from the bread bag in the kitchen drawer?...

Piece of Cake: 12 Ways to Boost Your Estate Plan By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi January 13, 2025 Now firmly planted in a new year, my office newsletter is off to the printer for processing.  This year the “winter edition” theme is getting your ducks in a row.  Continuing with that focus, today’s blog post offers 12 ways to improve your estate planning game; one for each month of this new year. One, embrace your inner luddite and turn to paper over digital documents.  If this recommendation shocks you, consider how hard it is to get into your phone, email or computer at times.  Now project that situation to someone else trying to gain access to your digital world when you are incapacitated.  Part of estate planning is the goal to make life easier on our loved ones.  Having well-organized hard copies of documents to look through may be far easier during a time of crisis and or grief. Two, find yourself a three-ring binder or divided storage box.  Any offic...