Partners' Letter
Dear Clients and Friends,
 
We're kicking off our first newsletter of 2017 with articles to help you navigate your estate, financial, and health care planning, and to let you know about our growing community involvement and outreach to different audiences on important matters related to our practice areas. 
 
Our first article, "Five (Good) Reasons to Treat Your Children Differently in Your Estate Plan," written by Attorney Sayward and published in the Dedham Transcript in January, points out that while parents typically want their children to be treated the same when it comes to passing on their assets,  there are compelling reasons not to do so. She examines five situations in which it is wise to develop individual financial strategies for children who are faced with special circumstances -- from those who have health limitations and may need extra funds, to siblings who have a history of money or legal problems.
 
Attorney Samuel has written an article focusing on employer-sponsored retirement plans and what consumers can do to become more educated about investing if they don't have a financial advisor.  He provides the basic  information about Target Date Funds (TDFs), which are a viable alternative to meeting with an advisor and/or spending a great deal of time trying to learn about the different investment options offered in a retirement plan.  Attorney Samuel weighs the pros and cons of TDFs, with the goal of helping employees become more aware of the importance of planning a retirement strategy that is in line with individual goals and circumstances.
 
Attorney Greenfield provides an overview of what has been happening with proposed legislation regarding MassHealth. Our firm was among dozens to provide testimony against legislation that would result in hardships for individuals throughout the state who may need MassHealth benefits to pay for needed care.  In her article, Attorney Greenfield provides details about the proposed changes, which were introduced at the end of 2016.  We will bring you updates as soon as we know more!
 
As our firm continues to grow, we are committed to educating the public and raising awareness about our practice areas. From planning for college to planning for retirement, our attorneys have been speak ing to different audiences throughout the community as well as in our own office through our Smart Counsel Series .
 
As our newsletter enters its eighth year, we continue to receive positive feedback from our readers. As always, we encourage you to send us ideas for future articles. Please feel free to send us email addresses for new subscribers or forward this newsletter to friends and family members.
 
We hope that 2017 is off to a great start!
 
Steven Joshua Samuel
Suzanne R. Sayward
Maria C. Baler 
Five (Good) Reasons to Treat your Children Differently in Your Estate Plan 
by Attorney Suzanne R. Sayward
 
A while back, I wrote an article that focused on some of the reasons clients give for deciding to treat their children differently in their Wills and why.  In my experience, those reasons were usually not worth the problems that arose from those decisions (i.e Will contests, damaged family relationships, etc.).  I called that piece Five (Not So Good) Reasons to Treat your Children Differently in your Estate Plan . However, there are in fact some good reasons for treating some children differently. Here are five circumstances in which it is prudent to consider treating a child differently than his or her siblings:
Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans:  What You Need to Know

By Steven Joshua Samuel JD, MBA, AIF®
 
While many employers offer retirement accounts as an employee benefit -- even those that offer generous matching contributions -- many do not offer adequate education on how to choose among the investments offered in the retirement plan. If you have engaged a financial professional to advise you, make sure that their advice about your overall investment strategy incorporates the money in your (and your spouse's) retirement accounts.  If you don't have a financial advisor and don't have the time to educate yourself about investments, Target Date Funds (TDFs) may be a reasonable alternative if you do a bit of research yourself.  Here are the basics of what you need to know:
MassHealth Update

By: Attorney Pamela Greenfield
 
2017 started off with a bang in the MassHealth world!  The end of 2016 brought with it some unexpected proposed MassHealth regulation changes which forced elder law attorneys across the state to scurry like mad before the holidays to review and comment on the new regulations which were originally set to take effect on February 1, 2017 but still have not been officially implemented.  
We Get Around

Our attorneys have been out and about in the community, speaking about the importance of estate planning and continuing our education series on matters related to our practice areas.
SSB Partners with Honoring Choices

Samuel, Sayward & Baler recently joined with Honoring Choices as a Community Partner. 
Spreading Some Holiday Cheer

In lieu of sending sweets and treats to our colleagues and referral sources this year, Samuel, Sayward & Baler decided to spread some holiday cheer to members of our community who could use some extra help.  Attorney Abigail Poole and Junior Paralegal Caitlin Fantegrossi volunteered at the Westwood Council on Aging's annual holiday party on December 15.
 
In addition, our firm was pleased to make donations this holiday season in honor of our clients, staff, colleagues and referral sources to the Dedham Food Pantry and the Westwood Council on Aging.  These organizations will put our donations to good use by providing food to local families and supporting health and nutrition programs offered to local seniors at the Westwood Senior Center.
What's New at Samuel, Sayward & Baler LLC

Attorney Sayward Named Super Lawyer for the Sixth Consecutive Year
We are pleased to announce t hat Attorney Suzanne Sayward has once again been selected to the 2016 Massachusetts Super Lawyers® list .  This is the sixth consecutive year in which Attorney Sayward has been selected for this honor.  Super Lawyers is a rating service that recognizes outstanding lawyer s from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. 
 
Attorney Greenfield Named MassNAELA Member of the Year
Our congratulations go out to our own Attorney Pamela Greenfield, who was honored as the Chapter Member of the Year at the December 2016 annual meeting of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (MassNAELA).  This is a well-deserved honor for Attorney Greenfield, who devotes countless hours of her time on behalf of the Chapter.  Attorney Greenfield joins Attorneys Sayward and Baler who received this distinction in 2011 and 2010, respectively.  
 
Third Smart Counsel Series Presentation a Smashing Success
On January 12th, we hosted our third presentation in our Smart Counsel Series of seminars at our office. Attorney Baler spoke about the legal documents every young adult should have in place before heading off to college. Gregg Cohen, founder of Campus Bound gave a well-received presentation on the options available to finance a college education, including loans, scholarships and financial aid. Gregg shared his knowledge and advice about navigating the college financing process and identifying financial resources to help you send your children to the school of their dreams. Thank you, Gregg!
 
Mark your calendars for our next programs on:
March 23, 2017  - Planning for Estates of $1 million or more
May 11, 2017 - Protecting your Child's Inheritance from a Divorcing Spouse
July 20, 2017 - To be determined
 
These presentations will be held at our office in Dedham and begin at 6:00 p.m. Wine, cheese and other light refreshments will be available. We will provide details about the topic for each program on our website and by email.
Samuel, Sayward & Baler LLC, 858 Washington Street, Suite 202, Dedham, Massachusetts  
781-461-1020      www.ssbllc.com