Law Office of Polly A. Tatum

Law Office of Polly A. Tatum We provide personalized estate planning, probate, and elder law services to families across Massachusetts. We believe age is just a number.

We transform legacies with dignity — one family at a time.

06/05/2026

Never Put These Three Things Inside Your Living Trust!! 🚫⚖️

IRAs, 401ks, and retirement accounts have their own beneficiary designations. If you name your trust instead of a person, you can collapse a 10-year stretch distribution into a five-year window and trigger a massive tax bill.
Vehicles create insurance and registration complications in Massachusetts. Keep them out and handle them separately. Accounts with survivorship rights pass automatically at death. They may not need to go into the trust at all.

Follow For More! ✅


06/04/2026

Three Mistakes People Make When Putting Their Home Into a Trust!! ⚠️📋

Mistake one: not recording the new deed. The trust gets signed but the deed is never filed with the Registry of Deeds. The house is still legally in your personal name.
Mistake two: not telling your lender. Some lenders require written approval before the transfer. Mistake three: ignoring Massachusetts Homestead. If you filed for homestead protection, you may need to refile it in the trust's name to keep that protection.

Follow For More! ✅


06/03/2026

Do You Need a Living Trust if You Own a Home?! 🏠⚖️

You have a choice when buying. Put the home in your personal name or in a revocable living trust. A living trust keeps your home out of probate. Your family avoids a long, expensive court process.
It still works even if you have a mortgage. Most people think you can't, but you can. Check the due on sale clause with your lender. Transfers to a revocable trust are usually allowed if documented the right way.

Follow For More! ✅


06/02/2026

Never Let Your Family Inherit Your Home Without Doing This!! 🏠💰

When someone inherits a home, their cost basis steps up to fair market value at death. That means little to no capital gains tax when they sell. But adding kids to the deed while you're alive locks in the old cost basis.
When they eventually sell, that tax hit can be $50,000, $100,000, or more. A living trust preserves the step-up. It keeps you in control during your lifetime and delivers a tax-efficient inheritance to your kids.

Follow For More! ✅


05/30/2026

Does Your Will Keep Your Home Out of Probate?! 📋⚖️

In Massachusetts, any asset passing through a will must go through probate court. Your family waits, pays legal fees, and your home is tied up for 12 to 18 months while they grieve.
A revocable living trust moves assets directly to your beneficiaries without probate, so your family skips the entire court process and actually gets protected.

Follow For More! ✅


05/29/2026

Is Your Homeowner's Insurance Void After Trust Transfer?! 🏠🛡️

Once your home transfers into a trust, the trust owns it, not you, and most homeowner's insurance policies are tied to you personally, not a trust, so your coverage could become void instantly.
Contact your insurance company and tell them your home is now held in a living trust, then ask them to add your trust as an additional insured on the policy.

Follow For More! ✅


05/28/2026

Did You Update Your Beneficiary Designation Form?! ⚠️💰

Your beneficiary form overrides your will and your trust, whoever is named on that single document gets the money, period.
Log into every retirement account and life insurance policy today to check who's named as beneficiary and update it right now if it doesn't match your current wishes.

Follow For More! ✅


05/27/2026

What Are the Three Legacy Moves You Must Make?! 🏠💼

Your home needs a living trust to skip probate court entirely, and your bank and investment accounts should be retitled into the trust or named as beneficiary.
Personal property like jewelry, furniture, and collectibles use an Assignment of Property to transfer, creating the trust is step one, but funding it is what actually protects your family.

Follow For More! ✅


05/22/2026

Can Your Minor Children Legally Receive Your Assets if You Die?! ⚖️💼

In Massachusetts, minors cannot legally own or manage money or property. If you name a young child as a direct beneficiary, the court steps in to manage those assets until they turn 18.
At 18 they receive everything in one lump sum with no conditions and no guidance. The solution is a trust. Inside the trust you decide when they receive the money, who manages it until then, and what it can be used for.

Follow For More! ✅


05/20/2026

Two Estate Planning Mistakes That Turn Your Kids Against Each Other!! 💔⚖️

If you leave more to one child than another and never explain why, that silence becomes the wound. A simple letter of explanation kept with your estate documents can prevent a family war.
Naming one sibling as executor over the others hands them authority over the family's money. Even a well-intentioned sibling can be accused of favoritism. A neutral third party or professional trustee is almost always the better choice.

Follow For More! ✅


Address

19 Cedar Street
Worcester, MA
01609

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Website

https://www.instagram.com/pollytatumlaw/, https://www.tiktok.com/@pollytatumlaw,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Law Office of Polly A. Tatum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share