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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How to Keep Your Ex Out of Your Estate Plan
<p>Divorce doesn’t just end a relationship; it leaves a tangle of legal documents, beneficiary forms, and estate planning decisions that need follow-up. In this episode, Jill answers a listener question from Amy in Tennessee, who just finalized her divorce and wants to know whether she needs to update her Will. Jill explains how Tennessee treats estate planning documents after divorce, why beneficiary designations are often the biggest risk, how ERISA complicates things, and real court cases where ex-spouses walked away with hundreds of thousands of dollars simply because the paperwork wasn't updated. She also shares practical, small-step strategies fo...
Why Your Teen’s Brain Can’t Outrun the Algorithm
<p>Jill explores one of the most urgent parenting challenges of our time: the dangers hidden inside our kids’ devices. From algorithm-driven eating disorders to sextortion scams run like global businesses, today’s threats don’t hide outside the house; they live inside apps, platforms, and anonymous accounts. Inspired by the podcast Left to Their Own Devices, Jill shares four essential insights every parent needs to understand, plus why talking about these uncomfortable realities is now part of true death readiness.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>Our Kids Are Growing Up in a Completely Differen...
How to Stop the Family Camp from Splitting Siblings
<p>Jill breaks down why family camps, cottages, and vacation homes become the most emotionally charged and conflict-prone assets families try to pass down, and how to prevent them from tearing siblings apart. Using stories from her own Adirondack upbringing and recent travels, Jill explores the tension between nostalgia, financial reality, sibling dynamics, and unspoken expectations. She outlines clear steps families can take to avoid disaster: understanding real costs, clarifying fairness, addressing governance, confronting entitlement, and creating a legally sound structure before a crisis hits.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>Why Family Properties Create Ou...
How to Give Money Without Triggering Gift Tax
<p>This Tuesday Triage episode breaks down how gift tax actually works, when a gift must be reported to the IRS, and why most people won’t owe gift tax but may need to file a gift tax return anyway. Using a real listener scenario, Jill explains what counts as a gift, what doesn’t, four major exceptions, and common year-end mistakes that can accidentally trigger IRS reporting rules. And, as always, she reminds us that not all gifts come wrapped. Sometimes the most meaningful gift is showing up.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p>What legall...
Can you Inherit from Someone You Killed (or Tried to Kill)?
<p>In this episode, Jill explores one of the most fascinating intersections of true crime and estate law: the slayer statute. She dives into a real 2025 Michigan Court of Appeals case involving a trust, an unexpected beneficiary, an alleged murder-for-hire plot, and two deaths by natural causes. The big question: Can you inherit from someone you planned—but failed—to kill? The answer reveals just how narrow the slayer statute really is and why understanding your estate plan matters more than you think.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>The Case Background</p>The trust Donald...
Avoiding the Hidden Tax Trap in Lifetime Gifts
<p>Jill unpacks one of the most misunderstood estate-planning tools: the irrevocable trust. Using a real-world scenario, she explains how transferring assets too soon can backfire, especially when it comes to capital-gains taxes. If you’ve ever wondered whether your trust is helping or hurting your long-term plan, this episode will help you make sense of what you really need (and what you don’t).</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode:</p><p>Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trusts. How control, flexibility, and tax treatment differ between the two.</p><p>When to Use an Irrevocable Trust. Situations where it can p...
How Hosting This Podcast Taught Me to Face Grief
<p>This week’s Tuesday Triage isn’t about someone else’s question—it’s about Jill’s.</p><p>After losing her Uncle Charlie, Jill reflects on how a previous guest, Jamie Sarche, taught her that grief isn’t something we can “opt out” of. In Episode 18, Jamie explained why ceremony matters, not for the person who died, but for the people left behind. In this episode, Jill shares how she had to live that lesson, honoring her uncle by showing up, feeling the loss, and remembering the man who quietly held his family together.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Epi...
How to Talk to Your Parents About Getting Help at Home
<p>Talking with your aging parents about getting help at home, or possibly moving, can feel impossible. How do you bring it up without overstepping, causing conflict, or stripping them of their independence?</p><p>In this episode, I sit down with Laura Lynn Morrissey, founder of Silver Savvy, to discuss how families can successfully navigate aging, home safety, assisted living, and long-term care decisions.</p><p>We explore how to start the conversation before crisis hits, identify the family “influencer,” and make informed decisions about everything from home modifications to long-term care insurance. Whether your parents are fiercely independent or a...
Why Losing Your Original Will Could Cost Your Family Everything
<p>This week’s Tuesday Triage question comes from Jazmine in New Jersey. She believed she had “filed” her Will with her attorney until she discovered he’d been disbarred and her original Will was missing. In this episode, Jill unpacks what it really means to “file” your Will, how to protect it, and what happens if your original goes missing. She also shares a true Tennessee case that shows how critical proper Will storage can be and the surprising twists that followed.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>“Filing” your Will isn’t an official legal act...
Can You Leave Money to Your Dog?
<p>Your dog might run your home, your heart, and your schedule, but legally, he’s still property.<br />In this episode, Jill explores how to make sure your beloved pets are cared for after you’re gone. From Diane Keaton’s rumored estate plan for her dog, Reggie, to Jill’s own story of Oliver—the “best dog in the universe”—this episode walks through what pet trusts are, how they work, and how to decide if you need one.</p><p>What You’ll Learn in This Episode</p><p>What a Pet Trust Is. A legal arrangement that sets aside mon...
