• Being an Executor of an Estate is a Lot of Work—Can You be Paid for Your Time?

    Yes, you can. And yes, being an executor—now called a personal representative—is definitely a lot of work. If you’ve hired an attorney, she will handle all the court documents, but there is still plenty of non-legal work for the personal representative to do. Various tasks that a personal representative does include: go to the banks…

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  • Help! I Need to Probate Someone’s Estate, but It’s Such a Small Amount. Is There an Easy Way to Do This?

    Yes! In Massachusetts, we have three types of probates: voluntary, informal, and formal. If someone dies with probate assets of $25,000 or less, plus a car, then you only need to bring a “voluntary” probate. A voluntary is very easy—you can do this yourself, with no lawyer involvement. You will need to complete the probate…

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  • First Steps to Take After a Loved One Passes Away

    There are so many tasks to handle when someone dies: closing bank accounts, sorting personal belongings, selling a home… just to name a few. While it helps to know that your funeral director will notify Social Security and Medicare about the death (one less thing to worry about), what else needs to be done now?…

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  • Hull Times – How to Stay at Home Longer or Forever

    One of the most common long-term care planning objectives I hear from clients is they would like to remain in their own homes as long as possible, but are worried about the cost of bringing in help. This is understandable. Your home is familiar and comfortable – yet bringing help into your home can be…

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  • HullTimes – Take Charge – Holiday Week Visit

    Next week the holiday season officially gets under way.  Many of us will be spending time with family that we haven’t seen in a while, or at least haven’t spent this much time with lately.  It’s a good time to take notes and start some conversations. How is Grandma’s famous pumpkin pie this year –…

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  • HullTimes – Take Charge – Naming a POA

    In my last column, I explained the importance of having a health care proxy.  You will recall that the proxy allows someone you’ve named to make health care decisions for you when you are unable to make or communicate those yourself.  This week, we’ll discuss the durable power of attorney.  With this document, you name…

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  • HullTimes – Take Charge – Before Writing a Will

    When I give presentations, I always ask the audience what they think is the most important estate planning document to have, and almost everyone replies with a “will.” It’s a trick question. More important than making sure that family, friends, and charities inherit your possessions is making sure that you are taken care of while…

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