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Let us demystify the real estate sales process for you

  • The Residential Real Estate Department  February, 2024
  • If you sold your property in 2023, there are some things you need to know. The sale of your property may be deemed “reportable” to the IRS and you may be responsible for paying capital gains taxes on the profit…

Wills vs. Trusts – Which is right for you? 

  • Gina Barry, Esq February, 2024
  • You are having a conversation with your neighbors, who have just established their estate plan, and they tell you that their plan includes a Revocable Trust.  You only have a Will, and this causes you to worry that a key component of your estate plan is missing…

The Four Basic Estate Planning Documents

  • Gina Barry, Esq January, 2024
  • When it comes to estate planning, the adage is true.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Many people believe that they do not have enough money to need an estate plan; however, the need for an estate plan is not solely related to the amount of your wealth…

Important Notice Impacting Business Entities

  • Jennifer Sharrow, Esq January, 2024
  • A new reporting requirement mandated by the passage of the federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) will require most existing and newly formed businesses to report information about their beneficial owners to the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). This new requirement applies to limited liability companies, corporations, real estate holding companies, and more…

Medicaid Myths

  • Hyman Darling, Esq December, 2023
  • It seems like every day a client tells me that they are going to protect their assets from long-term care expenses by making a gift of $10,000.00 to their children. If this writer got paid every time a client misspoke about this rule, he quite possibly could be retired…

You Can’t Take It With You

  • Gina Barry, Esq December, 2023
  • As we come to the holiday season, charitable giving comes to the fore. Do you donate money to charity each year? Perhaps you donate to an organization dedicated to finding a cure for an awful disease. Perhaps you choose to benefit organizations that support and encourage positive growth in our youth…

Estate Tax Update

  • Gina Barry, Esq November, 2023
  • When a Massachusetts resident passes away, every asset that they own is subject to estate tax. Estate tax is imposed by both the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (state estate tax) and the United States government (federal estate tax). While this may seem to create a fairly large burden, both the state and federal estate tax systems provide a credit that allows the deceased individual to pass a certain amount of assets without paying any estate tax…

Avoiding Caregiver Stress

  • Gina Barry, Esq October, 2023
  • “I’m so stressed out!” Certainly, all of us have made this proclamation. Take a moment now to think of how you felt at that time, and you will get a glimpse into the daily lives of our nation’s family caregivers. A caregiver is anyone who helps another person in need with daily tasks, such as bathing, cooking, eating, taking medications, dressing, using the bathroom, shopping, and house cleaning…

Planning for Long-Term Care

  • Gina Barry, Esq September, 2023
  • Long-term care costs can deplete your assets at an alarming rate.  Many people will enter a nursing home during their lifetime where they will incur the average monthly cost of $13,000 for an average stay of 2.5 years…

Estate Planning Concerns for Women

  • Gina Barry, Esq August, 2023
  • When it comes to financial independence and estate planning, women face a unique set of challenges.  Statistically, a married woman is most likely going to outlive her husband.  In 2022, the average age of a widow was 59 years old…

Roadmap for Recording- New Requirements for Businesses Under the Corporate Transparency Act

  • Jennifer Sharrow, Esq • August, 2023
  • Businesses get ready, the federal government is implementing new reporting requirements that will bring even the smallest businesses under the purview of the U.S. Department of Treasury. All entities registered with a Secretary of State are now required to make mandatory reports which require specific and detailed information…

Remote Online Notarization – A Sea Change for a Longstanding Legal Requirement

  • Sarah Federation, Esq • Jeffrey Fialky, Esq July, 2023
  • Most individuals have at some point had special documents executed in the presence of a notary public- perhaps in connection with estate planning, banking, or the purchase or sale of real estate. Massachusetts, like many other states throughout the Country, has a very specific and particular set of statutory requirements for notaries public compliance…

Special Needs Require Special Planning

  • Gina M. Barry, Esq • July, 2023
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States today, 61 million adults are considered disabled.  Their disability may entitle them to receive various benefits that are provided by the federal and state government.  Some of these benefits, such as Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”), food stamps (“SNAP”), housing, or fuel assistance, may only be available to the disabled person if they meet eligibility requirements that require the disabled person to have income or assets less than a certain amount…

Establish an Estate Plan Before Your Trip 

  • Gina M. Barry, Esq • June, 2023
  • Summer is nearly here, and many are heading off for a fun, restful vacation.  Plans are being made to head to the shore to enjoy the weather, and many are also making plans to visit family or friends.  When planning to travel, it is common to experience nervousness…

Ensuring Your End of Life Wishes Are Honored

  • Gina M. Barry, Esq • May, 2023
  • No one likes to think about what might happen if they were in a serious accident or contracted an illness that left them unable to speak and make their wishes known.  Unfortunately, such situations occur every day…

Estate Planning Considerations for Men

  • Gina M. Barry, Esq • April, 2023
  • As women continue to make strides in business and politics, traditional gender roles are changing; however, some things have not changed. Statistics show that it is typically a male who delays estate planning, primarily due to silly superstitions, procrastination, or a stubborn resistance…

Good Grief

  • Gina M. Barry, Esq • March, 2023
  • Imagine if you were to pass away today. Your loved ones would be devastated, but would, nonetheless, be called upon to tend to your final affairs – arranging your funeral, managing your final debts, and possibly even having to probate your estate…

Blended Families

  • Gina M. Barry, Esq • February, 2023
  • Blended families, which are families that include a couple and their children born of their current and all previous relationships, have become increasingly more common. They currently outnumber non-blended families, which are families that include a couple and the children born of the couple only…