Lambariello Smith & Speed LLC

09/01/2026

08/31/2026

Dolly Parton had no children, and her husband, Carl, passed away before she did. No obvious “next in line” to inherit anything.

She knew that. Back in 2020, she talked publicly about working with an estate attorney specifically so she wouldn’t leave behind a mess for the people she loved. After Carl died, she reportedly went back and updated everything again.

Compare that to Prince. When he died in 2016, he also had no spouse and no known will. The difference is he hadn’t done the planning. What followed was years of court proceedings, roughly 700 people coming forward claiming to be heirs, a dispute with the IRS over what the estate was even worth, and a fight that wasn’t fully settled until six years later (with a big chunk of the estate consumed by legal fees along the way).

Same basic situation. Wildly different outcome. The difference wasn’t the size of the fortune — it was whether the paperwork existed.

Most of the news coverage this week is about chasing the dollar figure. The more useful question is the one underneath it: if you don’t have kids, or your spouse is already gone, who inherits your home, your accounts, your life insurance by default, under the law?

If you don’t have a plan on file, the answer isn’t “whoever you would have chosen.” It’s a formula written into state law, and it can surprise families badly at the worst possible time.
You don’t need a $500 million estate for this to matter. You just need to not have gotten around to it yet.

If that’s you, let’s talk before it becomes your family’s problem instead of your plan.

LSS Law- Protecting what you value most during life and after death.

08/30/2026

🐾 Make-A-Will Month: Don’t Forget Your Four-Legged Family Members

If you have a pet, you’ve probably thought about who would care for them if you couldn’t.

But have you put that plan in writing?

During Make-A-Will Month, it’s a great time to look beyond who inherits your assets and make sure the pets you love are included in your estate plan, too.

A Will can name someone you trust to care for your pet and provide funds for their care. But a Pet Trust can provide an additional layer of protection by setting aside money specifically for your pet and establishing instructions for how those funds should be used.

A thoughtful pet plan can address:
🐶 Who will care for your pet
🐱 Who will step in if your first choice can’t
💰 How your pet’s care will be funded
🏡 Where your pet should live
❤️ Your wishes for their ongoing care

After all, your pet can’t make a plan for what happens next. You can.

This Make-A-Will Month, take a few minutes to ask yourself: If something happened to me tomorrow, would my pet’s future be secure?

Planning today can give you and your best friend peace of mind tomorrow.

08/29/2026

☀️ End-of-Summer Reminder: Life changes. Has your estate plan kept up?

As summer winds down and Make-A-Will Month comes to a close, it’s a good time to make sure your estate plan still reflects your life today.

A lot can change in a year:
🏡 Buying or selling a home
💍 Marriage or divorce
👶 A new child or grandchild
💼 Career or financial changes
❤️ Changes in the people you want to protect

Even if you already have a will or estate plan, it’s important to review it periodically to make sure your wishes, beneficiaries, and decision-makers are still up to date.

Before August ends, take a moment to ask yourself: Has my estate plan kept up with my life?

If it’s been a while since you reviewed your plan or you haven’t created one yet, now is a great time to get started.

📞 Contact our office to schedule an estate planning consultation. (908)754-4500.

08/27/2026

08/26/2026

If you pass away without a will (intestate), your assets do not necessarily automatically go to your spouse.
What happens to your estate depends on the intestacy laws of the state where you live—and those laws can divide assets between your spouse, children, and sometimes other family members. That’s not even taking into consideration beneficiary designations.

That can create unexpected results, especially when you have children from a previous relationship, own property separately, have a blended family, or have specific wishes for certain assets.

💡 The bottom line: Don’t assume the law will distribute your estate the way you would want.

A properly prepared estate plan can help make your wishes clear and potentially save your loved ones time, expense, and conflict during an already difficult time.

If you haven’t reviewed your will or estate plan recently, now is a good time to do it. After all, August is Make-a-Will month.

08/25/2026

Business Succession Tuesday

What happens to your business if you don’t have a plan?

You’ve worked hard to build your business. But if you unexpectedly pass away or become unable to run it, who takes over?

Without a succession plan, the answer may not be as clear as you think.

No plan can mean:
⚠️ Uncertainty over who owns or controls the business
⚠️ Important decisions coming to a standstill
⚠️ Financial and legal complications
⚠️ Disputes between family members, partners, or other stakeholders
⚠️ In the worst case, the sale or closure of the business

A business succession plan helps answer the important questions before there’s a crisis—including who will take over, how ownership will transfer, what happens if an owner becomes disabled, and how the business will continue operating.

Your business is more than a source of income. It may also be your family’s financial security, your employees’ livelihood, and an important part of your legacy.

Don’t leave its future to chance. Plan for what happens next.

Learn more about business succession planning and what can happen when an owner dies or becomes disabled:

Learn what happens to your business if an owner dies or becomes disabled in New Jersey. Discover key succession planning strategies and common mistakes to avoid.

08/24/2026

📚 Back-to-School Checklist: Is Your Estate Plan Up to Date?

New backpacks? ✔️
School supplies? ✔️
Schedules organized? ✔️
Estate plan reviewed? 🤔

Back-to-school season is all about preparing our children for the year ahead. It can also be a good reminder to make sure the plans we have in place for their future still reflect our lives today.

A lot can change in just a few years. Your children get older. Your finances change. Relationships evolve. The people you once selected to serve as guardians, executors, trustees, or other decision-makers may no longer be the best choices.

As you settle into a new school year, consider reviewing:

📌 Guardians for minor children: Are the people you named still the right choice?

📌 Your Will and Trust: Do they still reflect how you want to provide for and protect your children?

📌 Your assets: Have you purchased a home, started a business, grown your investments, or experienced other significant financial changes?

📌 Beneficiaries and decision-makers: Are the people named throughout your estate plan still who you would choose today?

📌 Powers of Attorney and Health Care Directives: Are these documents current and do they name people you still trust to act on your behalf?

Estate planning isn't something you should necessarily complete once and forget about. As your family changes, your plan may need to change with it.

This back-to-school season, while you're planning for the year ahead, take a little time to plan for the years ahead, too.

📖 Learn more: “Back to School: The Perfect Time to Update Your Estate Plan”
https://www.lsslawoffices.com/back-to-school-the-perfect-time-to-update-your-estate-plan/

📞 Have questions about whether your estate plan still meets your family's needs? Contact LSS Law at (908) 754-4500 to schedule a consultation.

As the school year approaches, parents are busy getting their children ready for another academic year—buying supplies, setting up schedules, and preparing for the routine ahead. But amidst all the preparations, one life-changing task often gets overlooked: updating your estate plan. Back to schoo...

08/23/2026

Probate Doesn’t Have to Be So Overwhelming

When a loved one passes away, dealing with their estate can feel like a full-time job, especially when probate is involved.
Dealing with probate means you may have to administer certain estates, which may include validating a will, identifying and gathering assets, addressing debts and taxes, and ultimately distributing assets to beneficiaries.

The process can become more complicated when there is no will, multiple beneficiaries are involved, real estate needs to be transferred, or tax and beneficiary issues arise.

At LSS Law, we assist executors, administrators, and trustees with the many responsibilities involved in estate administration, from probate applications and Surrogate Court filings to beneficiary notifications, asset searches, deed transfers, and tax-related filings.

Having knowledgeable legal guidance can help you understand your responsibilities, protect the estate, and move the process forward as efficiently as possible.

If you’re serving as an executor or administrator(or helping a family member navigate probate), professional guidance can make a difficult process a little easier.

Learn more about estate and trust administration:

LSS Law provides expert guidance in estate and trust administration, helping executors and trustees fulfill their duties with ease and efficiency.