Law Office of James M Hughes

11/11/2025

Hello to my fellow Friars and friends of Friars. Many of us have been influenced by Fr Quigley a/k/a " Fr. Quiggs" over the years...He has been a beacon for many of us and we THANK him for his service above self, his devotion and dedication to his vocation and of course to our Alma Mater, Providence College

I am so grateful and humbled. There is nothing that I am or have done to deserve the graces God has given me through priesthood.

12/23/2021

It's been a while since I posted but this topic is clearly of interest to many of my clients: WHAT TO DO IF YOU INHERIT A TRADITIONAL (NON ROTH) IRA IN 2020 OR LATER?

WHAT TO DO IF YOU INHERIT A TRADITIONAL (NON ROTH) IRA IN 2020 OR LATER?
With the passing of so many of our parents, and many members of “the greatest generation”, we are often faced with challenging decisions that require some education before deciding what to do with inherited IRAs.
If you recently inherited a TRADITIONAL IRA, (2020 or later) you will need to become familiar with the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) ACT, which applies to folks who inherited an IRA in 2020 or later:
The SECURE ACT differentiates IRA inheritance rules when it comes to mandated withdrawals (required minimum distributions, or RMDs) from inherited traditional IRAs between eligible designated beneficiary (EDB) and noneligible designated beneficiary (NEDB).
IN A NUTSHELL: Recall that if you inherit a traditional IRA, no matter your age, you MUST withdraw your RMDs. NEDBs are limited to 10-years from the year of the owner’s death to withdraw all funds form the IRA, however, RMDs for EDBs can be stretched over their lifetimes. N. B. Most situations are likely to be NEDBs, since EDBs are limited. Per the SECURE ACT, an EDB “includes a surviving spouse, a disabled individual, a chronically ill individual, a minor child or an individual who is not more than 10-years younger than the account owner.” NOTE: If you inherited the IRA from your mother or father, and you are not “a disabled individual, a chronically ill individual (or) a minor child”, you are a NEDB, and thus are limited to a 10-year term to withdraw all funds from the owner’s IRA.
“The 10-year rule requires the IRA beneficiaries, who are not taking life expectancy payments, to withdraw the entire balance of the IRA by December 31 of the year containing the 10th anniversary of the owner’s death.”
Be sure to follow the rules of RMDs properly, as there are hefty IRS penalties to pay for noncompliance.
HINT: Be sure to talk with your tax advisor because the RMDs rules are complex and the outcome will depend on your particular circumstances.
I hope this has given you some guidance and has been helpful to you.
Attorney James M Hughes
1432 Post Road
Fairfield, CT, 06824
[email protected]
www.fairfieldctelderlaw.com

“Strange isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole doesn’t he?” Clarence Odbody, Angel 2nd Class to George Bailey (Movie: It’ a Wonderful Life, 1946). Welcome! Attorney James Hughes has over 37-years experience representing a la...

09/22/2021

Happy Fall to all:
Now for something to think about, as this message sits prominently on my desk:
"Don't employ the services of any professional (lawyer, doctor, accountant, financial analyst) that you wouldn't trust with a key to your house."
Of course, this 2nd message also sits prominently on my desk:
"Get your priorities straight. No one ever said on his deathbed, "Gee, if I'd only spent more time at the office."

05/19/2021

One of my elder law client's recently passed away. I love learning about my client's vocations before they retired and this client and I shared our love of all things VW-related. He was a master VW mechanic and was wholly involved in the expansion of VWs here in America in the mid-1950s. His daughter sent me this pic of a new VW Dealership taken in the late 1950's. Check out the VW convertible and VW Bus on display...Enjoy the memories and the stories of your own VW. So many of us have stories to tell, I'm sure!

01/15/2021

In my Elder Law practice, I come to meet many wonderful people and many members of the Greatest Generation. I just returned from my 94-yo client's funeral, which was actually a wonderful celebration of her life. I met her and her husband almost 20-years ago when we discussed some life planning matters; She was a lively and active woman her entire life; she had performed at USO shows for the troops; She met her Marine-husband on a blind date and it was "love at first sight"; They married within 1-year; They had 5 children and all the joys and frolic that accompany that; She cared for her husband in their later years; She lived by the motto Carpe Diem and enjoyed and appreciated every single day; She lived a good and decent life and she left the world a better place; I was blessed to have gotten to know her and her family and it reminds me that what we do in life has an effect on others in small and meaningful ways; May she rest in peace.

11/24/2020

What/Who is your favorite legal movie/lawyer? There are so may choices, but recently in the NYT Magazine, the winner by a landslide was "My Cousin Vinny" (1992) , attorney Vinny Gambini played so well by Joe Pesci. Many thought Atticus Finch, played by Gregory Peck, in To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) would win but it was not to be.
I have always enjoyed Paul Newman's portrayal of down-and-out Attorney Frank Galvin in The Verdict (1982), but recently I saw the 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street and I just loved the court room drama where Attorney Fred Gailey, played by John Payne, somehow proves that Kris Kringle is the real and only Santa b/c the US Post Office delivered him 22 huge bags of mail at the Court House, thus proving the US Gov't sanctioned Kris as the one and only Santa. It brought tears-to-me-eyes and I look forward to watching it someday w/ our grand kids once they reach the age of reason, as they are too young to date. Full disclosure: I am happily married to the one and true "Mrs Claus", thus no youngsters are allowed to watch any movie which even questions the existence of Santa, until such child is about 14-years old.

Found on Google from thingsthatmadeanimpression.wordpress.com

10/02/2020

We (Hannah H + Jeremy Joyce and Jim Ginocchio & I) , participated in yesterday's NDHS, Fairfield CT Annual Golf Outing; We had a super time and for a great cause too!

07/31/2020

"The first thing to do in life is to do with purpose what one proposes to do."
Pablo Casals, 1876-1973
Spanish Cellist, Conductor and composer

07/30/2020

"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action."
Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881
English Statesman and Writer

07/29/2020

"The man who does things makes mistakes, but he never makes the biggest mistake of all--doing nothing."
Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790
American Statesman and Scientist

07/28/2020

"Let there be justice for all; Let there be peace for all; Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all; Let each know that for each body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves."
Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013
From speech made at his inauguration as the first democratically elected State President of South Africa, May 10, 1994

07/24/2020

"Men seek seclusion in the wilderness, by the seashore, or in the mountains--a dream you have cherished only too fondly yourself. Nowhere can man find a quieter or more untroubled retreat than his own soul...Avail yourself often, then, of this retirement, and so continually renew yourself.."
"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."
"When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."
Marcus Aurelius 121-180 CE
Roman Emperor from 161-180 CE