MALCOLM BUTLER, JD
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Investment and Life Lessons I Learned from My Father
My father, Lee Butler, lived a long, meaningful life defined by his dedication to his family, his team and his clients. When he passed away on January 5, 2023 at the age of 96, my father left a remarkable legacy. An honest man of great character, he was always extremely approachable and willing to...
Understanding Unitrusts
When it comes to trusts, income beneficiaries and remainder beneficiaries typically have competing interests. Income beneficiaries usually want the biggest current distribution, while remainder beneficiaries prefer to protect and preserve trust assets so they will inherit more money in the future....
Which Type of Trust is Best for You and Your Family?
Americans are living longer than ever, which means it’s more important than ever to plan ahead for your financial future and to efficiently ensure the transfer of wealth to future generations. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity and The Longevity Project, Americans are living...
Why Having a Will is Just One Aspect of Your Estate Planning
Over the years, I’ve had a number of clients who mistakenly think that a legally binding will has the power to keep their estate out of probate court. However, to put it simply: having a will isn’t enough. Additional steps must be taken in order to ensure the strategic transfer of assets to your...
Why You Shouldn’t Leave Family Property to Your Children
I’ve had numerous clients leave family homes—from beach houses to picturesque farms—to their children as part of their estate plans. However, despite the best of intentions, this decision isn’t always in the best interests of the heirs.
Why an Estate Plan Is the Best Gift You Can Give Your Grandchild
While awaiting the recent birth of my first granddaughter, I spent a lot of time thinking about the best possible gift I could give her. Ultimately, I decided that the ideal present for my grandchild was to give her parents–my daughter and her husband–a professionally drafted estate plan.
Strategic Ways to Optimize Financial Planning in 2021
As 2021 gets underway, there’s a palpable sense of optimism both domestically and internationally as we move forward with an expanded rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. We hope the New Year will bring an increased demand for travel, dining, and entertainment that will give the private sector a...
How to Keep Heirs From Being Spendthrifts
This article was originally published to subscribers of The Wall Street Journal, found HERE.
Managing Generational Wealth Through Dynasty Trusts
If you have significant wealth you’d like to preserve, protect and share with future generations, a dynasty trust might be a strategic estate planning option to consider. The dynasty trust is a type of irrevocable trust that’s designed with the long-term, multi-generational transfer of wealth in...
Why You Should Write a Letter to Your Executor–and What to Say in It
This article was originally published to subscribers of The Wall Street Journal, found HERE. I once had a client who half-jokingly told me he wanted to be buried with his iPhone in his hand so he could call me—the executor of his estate—from the afterlife to make his voice heard.