These days, so much of our lives are held in the nebulous digital “cloud.” Our emails, documents, photos, videos and calendars generally sit under one account.

As of March 1, 2025, Michigan has officially embraced a modernized approach to surrogacy and assisted reproduction. The Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Parentage Act (also known as the Family Protection Act) is now in effect, marking a major shift in Michigan’s legal stance on surrogacy.

Most people think of estate planning as being limited to the distribution of assets after death, but another critical aspect of estate planning is preparation for incapacity.  An incapacity plan provides many estate planning benefits like privacy, freedom, and control. However, they apply while you’re still living — and no estate plan is truly comprehensive without one.

To all front-line and “essential” workers: Thank you for all your hard work—day in and day out (often evenings, nights, and weekends). You tirelessly give of yourself to care for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. Whether you are caring for them in a hospital, therapy room, or patient’s home, you are there to protect and help the patient gain a better tomorrow.

Time seems to be the one thing we can’t get enough of. This is especially true if you are one of our nurses or frontline healthcare workers. You work tirelessly caring for others and may not have much free time to work on your estate planning. If you can answer the following questions or at least think them through, you can get a jump start on the estate planning process today.

“Life begins with love, is maintained with love, and ends with love.” Tsoknyi Rinpoche

When we think about estate planning, it's easy to focus on the technicalities—the legal documents, the distributions, the financial logistics. We live in an incredibly complex society where failure to plan or poor planning can cause months or years of headache and heartache, not to mention an avoidable financial burden.

In estate planning circles, the word “probate” often has a starkly negative connotation. Indeed, financial planners recommend keeping property out of probate whenever possible for many people- especially those with larger estates. That being said, the probate system was ultimately established to protect the property of the deceased and his/her heirs, and in a few cases, it may even work to an advantage.

Values, like biases and fears and beliefs, are driving forces in our lives. Values can be individual, cultural, societal or familial. 

When you pass away, your family may need to visit a probate court to claim their inheritance. This can happen if you own property (like a house, car, bank account, investment account, or other asset) in only your name. Although having a will is a good basic form of planning, a will does not avoid probate.