The Latest from Susan Katzen

“You're the one who will handle everything.” Your parent might say it over coffee or while pointing to a drawer of important papers. You understand what they are telling you: they trust you. Of course you want to help. Then you start wondering what you agreed to. Where are the documents? What h...

"We thought everything would be finished by now." It is one of the most common things families say after losing a loved one. The funeral has taken place. Friends and relatives have returned home. The will has been located, everyone seems to agree on what should happen, and it feels like the har...

No family expects to have all the answers after losing someone they love. In the days following a death, emotions are already running high. There are funeral arrangements to make, family members to notify, and countless details to manage. Then someone asks a simple question: "Where's the will?"...

The family believed everything had already been taken care of. Years earlier, their father had paid for a trust, signed all the paperwork, and proudly told everyone he had “avoided probate.” The estate planning binder sat neatly on the bookshelf, giving the family peace of mind that things would...