Legal Tea Episode 224. Current Trends - What Pumpkin Pie Teaches Us About Estate Planning
Nov 25, 2025
Discover the quirks of estate planning through the playful lens of pumpkin pie. Explore how you could condition inheritances on Thanksgiving attendance, though it might be a bit extreme! Delve into creative estate planning tools like timed distributions and education incentives. Learn the differences between testamentary and living trusts, and why living trusts might be your best bet. Plus, hear about the importance of choosing the right trustee and the need for thoughtful planning. It's a unique take on controlling your legacy!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Pumpkin Pie Enforcement Story
- Jenny Rozelle tells a Thanksgiving pumpkin pie story to illustrate controlling your legacy with estate planning.
- She jokes beneficiaries must attend dinner in person to receive their inheritance check and pie.
Estate Plans Are Highly Flexible
- Estate planning can do much more than name beneficiaries; it sets rules, conditions, and long-term structures.
- You can incentivize behaviors like education or protect assets and loved ones through tailored provisions.
Prefer Living Trusts For Conditional Rules
- Use a living trust to include conditional distribution provisions so the trust is funded and avoids probate after death.
- This lets your trustee implement your wishes more quickly than a testamentary trust that must clear probate first.