Written by  Kim Kamin, JD, AEP® (Distinguished) and Cynthia D.M. Brown, JD, STEP

Estate planning today involves more than just drafting technically sound dispositive documents. Clients increasingly want their estate plans to reflect their values, guide future generations, and anticipate evolving family structures. At the same time, trustees, particularly corporate fiduciaries, are administering long-term discretionary trusts under heightened scrutiny in complex regulatory environments.

Written by Gerry W. Beyer, JD, LLM, JSD

Whenever you plan for married clients, it is vital to know what property your clients own and what their spouses own. However, clients are often unclear about ownership and may be unsure whether an asset is owned individually or jointly by the spouses. Because two different marital systems are recognized in the United States, title alone does not always determine who truly owns the property. This article is designed to shed light on this key estate planning issue. 

Written by Phoebe Stone, JD, MA (Bioethics)

In the United States, an enormous amount of wealth is held in retirement assets. In fact, as of September 2025, more than $48 trillion is held in retirement accounts, and retirement assets account for more than one-third of all household financial assets. Given these statistics, trusts and estates practitioners and other professionals must be prepared to advise and assist their clients in planning for their retirement savings accounts.