PRESS RELEASE:
Denise Kent of the Denise Kent Law Group is pleased to announce her affiliation with WealthCounsel LLC – a nationwide collaboration of trusts and estate attorneys and other legal, tax and business professionals, and also with
ElderCounsel LLC, a collaboration of Elder Law attorneys. As a member, Kent contributes to and draws on
the knowledge and expertise of thousands of her colleagues.
Attorney Kent said that she joined WealthCounsel in order to offer clients the most up-to-date estate planning strategies, and joined ElderCounsel in order to provide the most sophisticated solutions to issues facing the elderly and disabled. Using their resources, clients are assisted with cutting-edge planning techniques executed in documents that are comprehensive, flexible and easy-to-read.
WealthCounsel and ElderCounsel members contribute to the ongoing development of practice systems through web-based discussion groups, study groups and continuing education courses. This year's curriculum offering include such topics as, "Power of the Lifetime QTIP", "Using LLC
to Protect Family Assets", "Trustee Selection for Irrevocable Trusts" and “Medicaid Immersion”.
WealthCounsel systems were recently praised during the 45th annual Philip E. Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning hosted by the University of Miami School of Law.
Kent is pleased to bring such quality to her practice, and
looks forward to utilizing colleagues and resources to deliver technically up-to-date peer-reviewed documents, advice and counsel for clients.
Denise Kent founded the Denise Kent Law Group in 2008, and practices together with her associate, attorney Suzanne Benfield. Their practice areas include Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration, and Elder Law, as well as certain Family Law services, such as Divorce Mediation. Key services include Medicaid Planning
and Special Needs Trusts.
Kent is a graduate of Gordon College and Mass School of Law and is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District Courts of Massachusetts. In additon, she earned a Certificate in Trust and Estate Planning, from The Foundation for Continuing Legal Education, Inc., Wenham, MA
To learn more about the firm, visit www.denisekentlaw.com
SOURCE Denise Kent Law Group
Showing posts with label trusts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trusts. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Elder Law and How I Help
I practice Elder Law, which, in general, means that I assist elderly and/or disabled people find the help and the resources to live as independently as possible, with respect and dignity. Long-term care can be devastating to a person’s lifestyle, finances and security. It drastically alters or completely eliminates the three principal retirement dreams of elderly Americans, which are:
1. Remaining independent in the home without intervention from others
2. Maintaining good health and receiving adequate health care
3. Having enough money for everyday needs and not outliving assets and income
Have you considered the following:
What do you want your children or friends to do on your behalf?
When it comes time for them to help, what if you can't say what you want because of a physical or mental disability? This is where a written estate plan comes into effect.
Do you have a financial plan or long term care insurance? Retirement savings can disappear quickly when used for care services.
What types of care services and facilities are available and what are the costs?
What will government programs pay for and how do you qualify?
When you make directives, assignments and arrangements in advance of needing elder care, then everyone involved can follow the prearranged care plan. In a best-case scenario, an individual has made financial, legal and personal long term care plans years before. Without such planning, families often find themselves in crisis where time, money and lifestyle are sacrificed, and caregivers suffer both emotionally and medically themselves.
There are a lot of new services and programs available to draw from, and it’s my pleasure to work with families and assist them in navigating the maze of pressing health care and financial needs.
Sincerely,
Denise Kent
“Helping people, one family at a time.”
1. Remaining independent in the home without intervention from others
2. Maintaining good health and receiving adequate health care
3. Having enough money for everyday needs and not outliving assets and income
Have you considered the following:
What do you want your children or friends to do on your behalf?
When it comes time for them to help, what if you can't say what you want because of a physical or mental disability? This is where a written estate plan comes into effect.
Do you have a financial plan or long term care insurance? Retirement savings can disappear quickly when used for care services.
What types of care services and facilities are available and what are the costs?
What will government programs pay for and how do you qualify?
When you make directives, assignments and arrangements in advance of needing elder care, then everyone involved can follow the prearranged care plan. In a best-case scenario, an individual has made financial, legal and personal long term care plans years before. Without such planning, families often find themselves in crisis where time, money and lifestyle are sacrificed, and caregivers suffer both emotionally and medically themselves.
There are a lot of new services and programs available to draw from, and it’s my pleasure to work with families and assist them in navigating the maze of pressing health care and financial needs.
Sincerely,
Denise Kent
“Helping people, one family at a time.”
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
We're Growing!
I am very pleased to announce to announce that Attorney Suzanne Benfield has joined the law firm as Associate.
She will practice in the areas of Family Law and Wills, Estates and Trusts.
Admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1998, Attorney Benfield previously worked in the area of corporate compliance in the insurance industry.
Suzanne lives on the North Shore and is married with two children. While raising her children, she volunteered at the Jeanne Greiger Crisis Center in Newburyport as a Court Advocate and for her local municipality in various capacities. She is currently a member of her town’s Planning Board.
I am happy to have such a dedicated and compassionate colleague join me in the practice. Suzanne understands the challenges and stressors facing today's families, particularly as they relate to Family Law and Elder issues. She will undoubtedly be an asset to the firm, and a trusted advisor to our clients.
Welcome, Suzanne!
She will practice in the areas of Family Law and Wills, Estates and Trusts.
Admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1998, Attorney Benfield previously worked in the area of corporate compliance in the insurance industry.
Suzanne lives on the North Shore and is married with two children. While raising her children, she volunteered at the Jeanne Greiger Crisis Center in Newburyport as a Court Advocate and for her local municipality in various capacities. She is currently a member of her town’s Planning Board.
I am happy to have such a dedicated and compassionate colleague join me in the practice. Suzanne understands the challenges and stressors facing today's families, particularly as they relate to Family Law and Elder issues. She will undoubtedly be an asset to the firm, and a trusted advisor to our clients.
Welcome, Suzanne!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wills of the Rich and Famous!
Spring is here, and so is tax season, so thought I would keep this post short and breezy. Let’s talk about some famous and interesting wills from famous and interesting dead people, shall we?
FYI: Wills are public records. By design they must always be filed (proved) in probate to be effective, which allows anyone interested to read them. Trusts, on the other hand, are generally private documents. They are usually not subject to public view or court review.
From William Shakespeare’s will, some interesting language and an even more interesting bequest:
Item I gyve unto my wief my second best bed with the furniture; Item I gyve and bequeath to my saied daughter Judith my broad silver gilt bole. Question: Why does his wife get the second-best bed?
Leona Helmsley disinherited two of her grandchildren and left $12 million to her dog, aptly named “Trouble”. This kind of bequest is sure to cause trouble and invites a will challenge, and in her case it certainly did!
Warren Burger, Former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, wrote his own will. He failed to include certain important clauses, such as those giving the executors rights to sell real estate, or pay debts and administrative expenses, forcing his estate to spend time and money in probate court to cure the poorly-drafted will. Moral: Even if you are the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, don’t draft your own will, because you don’t know what you don’t know!
Elvis Presley incorporated trust provisions in his will (called a testamentary trust) in which he specifically provided for his daughter, his grandmother, and his father as beneficiaries. While this is not an unusual practice, it has the effect of making the trust provisions public, and subject to the oversight of the probate court. For these reasons, people often choose to write wills in which all of their probate property “pours” into an existing separate trust, and is managed privately from that instrument.
I hope you enjoyed this will trivia. Have a wonderful week!
FYI: Wills are public records. By design they must always be filed (proved) in probate to be effective, which allows anyone interested to read them. Trusts, on the other hand, are generally private documents. They are usually not subject to public view or court review.
From William Shakespeare’s will, some interesting language and an even more interesting bequest:
Item I gyve unto my wief my second best bed with the furniture; Item I gyve and bequeath to my saied daughter Judith my broad silver gilt bole. Question: Why does his wife get the second-best bed?
Leona Helmsley disinherited two of her grandchildren and left $12 million to her dog, aptly named “Trouble”. This kind of bequest is sure to cause trouble and invites a will challenge, and in her case it certainly did!
Warren Burger, Former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, wrote his own will. He failed to include certain important clauses, such as those giving the executors rights to sell real estate, or pay debts and administrative expenses, forcing his estate to spend time and money in probate court to cure the poorly-drafted will. Moral: Even if you are the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, don’t draft your own will, because you don’t know what you don’t know!
Elvis Presley incorporated trust provisions in his will (called a testamentary trust) in which he specifically provided for his daughter, his grandmother, and his father as beneficiaries. While this is not an unusual practice, it has the effect of making the trust provisions public, and subject to the oversight of the probate court. For these reasons, people often choose to write wills in which all of their probate property “pours” into an existing separate trust, and is managed privately from that instrument.
I hope you enjoyed this will trivia. Have a wonderful week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)