Elizabeth Ann McLaughlin died at the ripe old age of 98. She was predeceased by her husband. Together they had six children, including Daniel. Daniel, as estate trustee, sought to rectify what he characterized as a solicitor’s mistake in his mother’s secondary will. For many years prior to her death,…
Clinicians and lawyers are regularly exposed to a score on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) also known as the ‘Folstein test’ after the developer of the most widely used cognitive screening tool in the world. Yet it is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted tests in Medicine, not to…
The number 21 figures prominently in estate planning and administration – at least three separate rules feature the number. Having been involved in estate and trust education for a number of years, I can attest to the fact that the three rules can be confusing on their own and may…
Reciprocal wills contain terms that mirror one another and are frequently prepared for couples. Mutual Wills are reciprocal Wills that the testators have agreed cannot be changed, at least without the consent of the other. Where there is no written agreement, the question arises: when do reciprocal Wills become mutual…
My blogging colleagues have described many estate and trust issues resulting from subsequent marriages. However today’s blog acknowledges that older individuals can enjoy another meaningful, satisfying and loving relationship after the death of a significant other.
When WW finally received a copy of her father’s will, after more than a year of chasing her father’s second wife to produce it, she read these words: I have equally considered my two children and leave them absolutely nothing. [WW] is entirely without morality and who ‘did not know’…
