Company sued for telling employees why someone was fired

Staples, the office-supply retailer, can be sued for firing an employee and then sending a mass e-mail to other employees saying why it fired him. That’s the word from the federal appeals court in Boston. The employee can sue Staples for “libel” … even if what it said about him was true. In most states, […]

Probate law in Massachusetts is changed

A brand new law in Massachusetts will make many changes in the way people’s estates are handled. The “Uniform Probate Code,” signed into law by Gov. Patrick, includes the following new rules for what happens if someone dies without a will: In many cases, an estate representative can begin distributing assets to heirs before getting […]

Most landlords make mistakes on their income tax

A majority – some 53% – of individual landlords make mistakes on their federal income tax when it comes to reporting rental income and expenses, according to a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. That means that out of about 8.9 million individual landlords in the country, nearly 5 million aren’t paying the correct […]

How a guardian is appointed

Many older people who are concerned that they will someday be incapacitated protect themselves with a power of attorney. This document gives someone else the right to make decisions for you if you can’t make them yourself. But what if a person who can no longer make decisions doesn’t have a power of attorney – […]

Providing for your pet with a trust

A dog or a cat can be a member of the family, but what happens to this family member after you’re gone? How can you ensure that your dog, cat or other pet will be cared for? You can give directions in your will to leave your pet to a caretaker. But there is no […]

Retirement home can force resident to move to higher level of care

A retirement community can force one of its residents to move from a private apartment to a smaller assisted-living unit, a federal court has ruled. Sally Herriot, 90, is a resident of Channing House, a continuing care retirement community in Palo Alto, California. Like many such communities, Channing House provides three levels of care – […]

Who should be your retirement plan beneficiary?

Picking a retirement plan beneficiary is a key step in estate planning.  Every year we hear about people who lost out on enormous tax savings by picking the wrong beneficiary.  So how do you decide whom to pick? Most married people will choose their spouse.  This is usually a good idea because the spouse can […]

Uncertain market makes prepaid 529 plans more attractive

With the stock market down significantly, some parents are looking at safer ways to save for a child’s college education. Prepaid 529 plans offer parents (and other family members) the opportunity to lock in tuition at today’s rates. Up until now, traditional 529 savings plans have been more popular. These traditional plans allow parents or […]

Why now is a good time for sophisticated estate planning

All of us are affected by the economic recession, but you should know that certain estate planning techniques become must more valuable when asset prices plunge – so this is a good time to take advantage of them. Some of the best estate planning ideas involve giving a partial interest in your assets to your […]

What happens if you die without a will?

We all know we’re supposed to do estate planning, but not all of us get around to it. So what happens if you don’t have a will when you die? Your estate will be distributed according to state laws, which may or may not conform to the way you want your assets and possessions to […]