Category Archives: Uncategorized

There is a definite emotional side to planning your estate. Although I always advise my own clients to regularly update their plans, I (ahem!) realized that my own plan was significantly outdated. As I prepared my own trust I felt … Continue reading →

http://www.montecitojournal.net/archive/13/8/783/ http://www.scbar.org/pdf/SCL/Sep01/tharpe.pdf

Believe it or not, there are some lessons in the death of Anna Nichole Smith, which occurred last week. In his blog, Professor Beyer gave a summary of what we currently know, and what we don’t know, regarding her (at … Continue reading →

All are invited to see my new website, Stratton Planning.

My personal preference is home visits. While I don’t mind (and, for me, it is certainly more convenient) meeting clients in the office, I find that home turf is where they feel the most comfortable. Also, while there, they have … Continue reading →

One wonders about the thinking — The U.S. Patent Office has been permitting patents on legal strategies for tax avoidance. The New York Times chimes in against the practice: The broken American patent system has a knack for sanctioning the … Continue reading →

So-called 529 Plans for saving for college and higher education expenses is a great deal, and should be seriously considered even if you are of modest means — even if you feel that you have difficulty saving. Also, recent federal … Continue reading →

I imagine that the situation is fairly typical: A less than scrupulous financial planner, or perhaps someone selling comprehensive “financial and estate” services, (or an estate planning “paralegal”) prepares trusts and wills to be signed by a cooperative lawyer-“partner.” The … Continue reading →

A number of legal blogs have latched onto proposed new rules in New York governing lawyer advertising. The only problem with these rules: They arguably apply to blogs — even those blogs originating out of state, or even international law … Continue reading →