More and more Americans are faced with the prospect of outliving their resources and rely on Medicaid to bridge the gap between expensive long-term health care and dwindling personal assets. Eligibility for Medicaid assistance, however, requires that an applicant's...
Trust Beneficiary Lacks Standing to Sue for Breach of Contract Calling for Trust to be Funded
On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Glassie v. Doucette, No. 2014-108-Appeal (R.I. 2017), holding that a Trust beneficiary lacked standing to sue as a third party intended beneficiary of a contract which called for the creation and funding of the...
Proposed 2704 Regulations May Have Substantial Impact on Estate Planning
Proposed 2704 Regulations, as they are now drafted, would make vast and substantial changes to the valuation of interests in many family-controlled entities, such as a Family Limited Partnership (FLP) or Limited Liability Company (LLC), for purposes of estate, gift,...
Be Wary of Tax Laws Concerning IRAs
This past June, the IRS issued a Private Letter Ruling (201623001) which impacts surviving spouses in community property states. The decedent and the surviving spouse were married in 2004 and lived in a community property state. They had a son, whom the decedent named...
RI Supreme Court Provides Long Awaited Guidance on Trust Attorneys’ Duty to Beneficiaries
In December of 2015, the Rhode Island Supreme Court provided guidance on the duties an attorney advising a trustee owes to the trust's beneficiaries. Audette v. Poulin, 127 A.3d 908 (R.I. 2015). Audette, the beneficiary of a trust, brought claims of negligence and...