News

The divorce decree incorporates terms that affect your financial affairs, but you often need to take specific steps to make the right things happen. This is particularly true when it comes to any real estate you own jointly with your former spouse. Even when the property is awarded to one partner, the other partner’s name…

When someone dies without a will, they lose the ability to determine who will get their property and who will handle their affairs. Can they also lose all their property to the government? Many of us have heard stories about property ownership passing to the government through an ancient common law practice known as escheat.…

If you’re contemplating a real estate sale in Massachusetts, you may have heard that title insurance requirements are changing. Federally-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced that lenders are allowed to accept attorney opinions in place of title insurance in many real estate transactions. That option could save you money on closing…

The “new normal” procedures established during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic brought lasting changes in some industries while in others, the old ways have gradually returned. In still other situations, interim changes continue to be extended while decisionmakers debate the pros and cons of making temporary accommodations permanent. Notary services in Massachusetts fall…

My family has gone to the Holiday Pops for years. I can remember going with my parents while Kerry and I were still dating because it was such a treat for us then. We got to get dressed up, go to Boston Symphony Hall, and then out to dinner at the Oak Room. We changed…

The new “Massachusetts Millionaire’s Tax” is expected to regularly impact less than 1% of households in the state—but many more families will take an extra tax hit when they go through events such as the sale of a home, transfer of a business, or conversion of a retirement account. People who did not think this…

When you think about your estate plan, you probably consider your home, vehicles, family heirlooms, and financial assets. But there is another category to consider, and it is a big one—your digital assets. The time you spend on your smartphone and computer has built a virtual warehouse of digital assets, which can include personal assets…