The Death Readiness Podcast: Not your dad’s estate planning podcast
You’re the one prepping for your child’s IEP meeting while trying to talk your aging dad out of getting a puppy. You’re booking medical appointments, managing the money, juggling work emails during school pickup and still expected to keep the fridge stocked and know who has practice, rehearsal, or a field trip tomorrow. Your parents are struggling, but they still insist they’re fine. You see the mobility issues, the memory slips, the unopened mail, but every offer to help feels like an argument. You’re scared to push. You’re scared to wait. And there’s no clear roadm...
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Why Selling the Lake House Can Rewrite Your Will
<p>A listener in Michigan asks what happens when her Will leaves a lake house that she sold years ago. Jill breaks down how Michigan law treats the sale of specifically gifted property, why the gift doesn’t disappear the way it would under traditional ademption rules, and how that one missing update can unintentionally shift millions of dollars and destroy family relationships. </p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p>What “ademption” means and why it wipes out gifts in many statesWhy Michigan law doesn’t automatically cancel a sold asset giftHow Michigan converts a sold house into a cash...
How Business Interests Create Estate Planning Blind Spots
<p>A beautiful estate planning binder doesn’t mean your plan is complete, especially when business interests or stock grants are involved. In this Tuesday Triage episode, Jill Mastroianni unpacks a listener question about distributing a family business in a blended family and uses it to expose one of the most common estate-planning blind spots: assumptions about ownership.</p><p>Through real-world examples and practical guidance, Jill walks listeners through how to identify who actually owns a business interest, what that ownership really means, and why these details matter long before a crisis forces the issue.</p><p>What You’ll L...
How Poor Estate Planning Cost a First Lady Her Home
<p>What really happened to the home of President James K. Polk? Jill revisits the fate of Polk Place in Nashville and walks through original deeds, wills, and trust language to explain how a presidential estate plan unraveled over decades. The result is a cautionary tale about life estates, unclear ownership, failed trusts, and how even “well-documented” plans can quietly erase a legacy.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>Having documents isn’t the same as having an effective estate plan. James Polk had a will, and a trust but unrealistic assumptions and expectation still led to a w...
Why You Should Question the Estate Planning Expert
<p>What happens when an estate plan is technically correct—but doesn’t quite work in real life?</p><p>In this Tuesday Triage episode, Jill shares a moment from a client meeting where one simple, common-sense question changed an entire estate plan. Through a personal story and a real client scenario, she breaks down the differences between trusts and powers of attorney, and explains why questioning the expert can lead to a plan that actually works when it matters most.</p><p>This episode is about trusting your instincts, understanding your options, and remembering that estate planning is supposed to s...
Why Disinheritance Can Be the Riskiest Estate Plan
<p>Disinheritance is often viewed as a clean solution to a painful family problem—but in reality, it can create far more conflict, litigation, and long-term harm than people expect. In this Tuesday Triage episode, Jill Mastroianni unpacks what disinheritance actually means, when it tends to arise (often after emotionally charged family gatherings), and why cutting someone out entirely is frequently the riskiest estate-planning move. Through a realistic scenario involving addiction and sibling dynamics, Jill explains how trusts, professional fiduciaries, and no-contest clauses can offer protection without tearing families apart. This episode is about slowing down, thinking clearly, and making es...
How to Build a Legacy That’s Not About Money
<p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>·What raising a child with special needs looked like in the 1970s, when there was no internet, limited resources, and little institutional support</p><p>·Why early intervention matters, and how one supportive professional can change the trajectory of an entire family</p><p>·How advocacy shows up in everyday moments, from fighting for inclusion in neighborhood schools to pushing back when institutions say “there’s no place for your child.”</p><p>·Why mainstreaming and community inclusion matter, not just academically, but socially, and how being known in a community ca...
Why that holiday “thank you” might be taxable
<p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>Why gifts in the context of work relationships are generally taxable income to the recipient, even when labeled as “holiday gifts”</p><p>The key difference between gifting to family (federal gift tax rules) and gifting in an employment or business context (income tax rules)</p><p>Why holiday cash gifts do not qualify as de minimis fringe benefits, and why gift cards are treated as cash equivalents</p><p>What employee achievement awards are, why cash doesn’t qualify, and how strict the requirements really are, including dollar limits and “mea...
Why Housing Security Gets Overlooked in Blended Families
<p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p>Why housing risk is common in blended families and cohabitation situationsWhat a life estate actually isHow life estates can be created (by deed, will, or trust)The difference between ownership and the right to live in a homeWhy many people are uncomfortable blending ownership, even in committed relationshipsHow a lease can provide housing security without lifetime guaranteesThe limits of estate planning documents when someone is still aliveWhat responsibilities a life tenant typically hasWhy you should define when and how a life estate endsThe importance of spelling out rules around repairs, renting, an...
How a Poet Helped Me Face What I Feared
<p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>What Andrea Gibson’s “biggest tiniest dreams” teach us about presence, attention, and finding meaning in ordinary moments.</p><p>How a poet can name experiences we didn't realize we were carrying, from nervous parental love to loving complicated rescue animals.</p><p>Why agency rarely looks dramatic and how a simple phone call can be an act of courage.</p><p>What it means to create a life with “stretch marks on your heart,” and how that frames the work of death readiness.</p><p>Why noticing small joys matters, whe...
How to write your own Will (and why you shouldn’t)
<p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>What a Holographic Will Is</p>A handwritten Will, entirely, or mostly, in the testator’s handwriting, signed and datedAllowed in some states, including MichiganOften valid on paper, messy in reality<p>Michigan’s Requirements (for validity)</p><p>A handwritten Will is valid in Michigan if it:</p>Is datedIs signed by the testatorHas material portions in the testator’s handwriting<p>That’s the bare minimum, not a guarantee that the document will do what you think.</p><p>What a Will Actually Controls</p><p>Not everything you own is...
