01/29/2026
Review your estate plan every few years, or, your heirs will spend a few years in court reviewing your estate plan. We very rarely recommend a trust unless you have signifiant (think +$5M) assets, complicated cash flowing bussinesses, or a special needs child/loved one that requires unique care.
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304-752-7715 
*Example Story taken from X User*
Father dies at 81. $2.7M estate. Three adult kids.
He set up a trust in 1998. Never updated it.
Kids can't touch principal until age 65. They're currently 52, 49, and 46.
The trustee? His brother who died 6 years ago. Nobody caught it.
Now a bank is the successor trustee. Charging $36,400/year in fees.
The trust references his "wife" getting income. She died in 2015. He remarried in 2017.
His second wife gets nothing. The trust still pays his first wife's estate.
His 52-year-old daughter is a teacher. Makes $78K. Renting an apartment.
She gets $14K/year from the trust but can't access principal to buy a house.
The trust was written when his estate was $800K. Nobody adjusted for $2.7M.
"Dad was so careful about planning."
26 years ago. Tax laws have changed many times. His family changed twice.
He spent $5K on that trust in 1998. Never spent another dollar reviewing it.
Now his kids are paying attorneys $40K to petition the court for trust reformation.
The court might fix some of it. Decanting could help. But it's expensive, time-consuming, and not guaranteed.
They're not fighting over money. They're fighting a document written for a different family in a different tax code.
Your estate plan has an expiration date. Just because it's signed doesn't mean it still works.
Review your estate plan every few years and with any major life change (births, deaths, marriage, divorce) . Or pay for your kids to fix it in court later.cio
