topLAW OFFICES Of BRADLEY J. FRIGON

 

6500 S. Quebec Street, Suite 330

Englewood, CO 80111
720-200-4025     720-200-4026 (fax)
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Don't Sweat the Small Stuff-Directing Who gets the Family Heirlooms
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Please visit our website www.bjflaw.com

  

Brad accepted the Kansas Bar Association's invitation to serve on the Fee Dispute Committee for the 2011-2012 bar year.

  

The Law Offices of Bradley J. Frigon  has earned an A+ rating and is considered an accredited business with the BBB.  The rating was awarded based on the BBB's information gathered on our practice and the length of time we have been operating with no complaints.   
     
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Your Estate, Probate and Long-Term Care Planning Newsletter

July 2012


Dear Clients and Friends,     

 

At the Law Offices of Bradley J. Frigon, we consistantly strive to provide quality personalized legal services with the highest level of integrity and professionalism. We assist clients with wills, trusts, probate and trust administration, probate litigation, Medicaid and public benefits planning, tax planning, guardianships and conservatorships, and special needs trusts. 

 

Please feel free to give us a call if we can provide assistance with your specific needs. Your comments and questions are important to us, please send them to [email protected] for immediate attention. 

 

Sincerely,

 

The Staff at the Law Offices of Bradley J. Frigon 

We routinely draft wills and trusts with provisions for a Personal Property Memorandum-a separate form that we give to our clients to complete at their convenience.  When we draft our clients' wills or trusts, certain assets get divided among beneficiaries (family and friends named to receive gifts from the estate) according to our clients' wishes.  But we can not list all of the clients' personal property in a will or trust and oftentimes, we include directions in the will or trust that the beneficiaries should agree to fairly divide personal property among themselves-this can be an extremely arduous process for the Personal Representative or Trustee and cause very hard feelings among beneficiaries. 

 

Fortunately, a Personal Property Memorandum alleviates these potential hazards.  The Memorandum is simply a list addressed to the client's Personal Representative or Trustee that identifies persons to receive specific items such as jewelry, collectibles, photographs, family heirlooms, china, and other property that is typically found in a home.  It is an informal document, not requiring witnesses or a notary public or an attorney's involvement.  It can be torn up (revoked) and rewritten as often as the client wishes.    

 

While there are limitations--it cannot be used to transfer assets such as real estate or automobiles or sums of money-we believe that a personal property memorandum is invaluable.  Why?  Many times, those ordinary things that are found in the home are considered priceless by the family: it may not matter whether the jewelry is real or costume, it has great sentimental significance. 

 

Personal Property Memorandums have three main benefits.  First, a Personal Property Memorandum relieves the client's Personal Representative or Trustee of having to divide up personal property between whoever the client names as a beneficiary under the client's will.  Second, it gives beneficiaries a definite answer as to who is to receive what object, there is less potential for hard feelings and conflict between two beneficiaries who would have been equally entitled to an item under the client's will or trust.  Third, a Personal Property Memorandum gives the client an added amount of comfort knowing that he or she has designated special people to receive special items...these special people can be anyone: friends, family, neighbors, etc., and need not be mentioned anywhere in the formal will.

   

To fill out your Personal Property Memorandum, make sure you identify the item to be given and the recipient with enough detail so that your Personal Representative or Trustee understands your intentions clearly.  Remember: completing a Personal Property Memorandum is not a requirement, but it can ease tension in a family after your death and it can give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have remembered those special people in your life.  If you have questions about the Personal Property Memorandum or believe that your will or trust documents need to be updated, please contact us.  

MSN Money
MSN MONEY quoted Brad in an article "When Dad Marries a Gold Digger," June 2012.  Click on the link below to read this interesting article: http://money.msn.com/family-money/when-dad-marries-a-gold-digger-weston.aspx
Planning for the Generations Symposium
WealthCounsel and ElderCounsel, leaders in providing tools and intelligence to the Estate Planning community, held their 2012 annual symposium "Planning for the Generations" in Denver, Colorado, July 16-20.  Brad spoke about "Medicare Set Aside Trusts" to the conference attendees.
 
For a complete list of Brad's speaking engagements, please visit our website.
Referrals - The Greatest Compliment
thank you note

We always appreciate referrals from our satisfied clients, friends, business  partners, and  their  family members. We welcome the opportunity to serve the  people you care about. Please use the email address link in the letter at the top of this Newsletter to contact our staff.  

 

Click on the "Forward Email" at the bottom of the page to send this newsletter to someone who will benefit from our advice.

The Law Offices of Bradley J Frigon
6500 South Quebec Street, Ste. 330
Englewood, CO 80111
Phone: 720.200.4025     Fax: 720.200.4026