What is a Trust Protector and When Do You Need a Trust Protector?
If you know anything about trusts, you have likely heard of the roles of settlor (aka grantor), beneficiary, and trustee. But there’s another role to know about: the trust protector....
What Is HEMS and What Does it Mean for Trustees?
HEMS is an acronym that stands for Health, Education, Maintenance, and Support. It’s commonly used in trusts as a way to guide and restrict the kinds of distributions that a...
Why You Don’t Want to Be a Trustee
I once saw a bumper sticker on a car that said “Smile. You Could Be a Trustee.” I thought it was great because it’s true. Being a trustee can be...
The #1 Mistake People Make With Trusts
Trusts are wonderful tools for financial planning and estate planning. There are many, many kinds of trusts, each with its own purpose, pros, and cons. Trusts may be used to,...
Clearing Up Confusion About Probate in South Carolina
Updated 11/27/2022 For some people, “probate” is a dirty word. Much of this attitude comes from not understanding the process, so let’s clear up the confusion. What Probate Is and...
The Unintended Consequences of Bad Estate Planning
We always advise people to get estate planning done. If you don’t decide what will happen to your assets upon your death, the state will decide for you. But sometimes,...
The 5 Essential Estate Planning Documents
Updated April 2024 When you come to Gem McDowell Law Group to work on your estate plan, we discuss five documents together: a will, a trust, a living will, a...