The family found the trust first. Estimated read time: ~5 minutes. The family found the trust first. That was what made everyone breathe. It was exactly where Daniel said it would be: inside the old wooden desk in the den, in a thick binder labeled Estate Plan. Living trust. Will. Power of attorney. Healthcare directive. Property documents. Daniel had done what parents are told to do. He had planned. His wife, Angela, sat on the couch while his daughter Mia … [Read more...] about The One-Page Mistake That Can Threaten Black Generational Wealth
Black Wealth
What Will Your Children Actually Keep?
Estimated read time: ~5 minutes. The inheritance looked simple on paper. That was the problem. When Thomas died, his three children gathered at the old dining room table in the Inglewood home where they had grown up. The trust binder was there. The bank statements were there. The family photos were still on the wall, including the one from Easter 1998 where everyone looked uncomfortable in clothes their mother had chosen. Thomas had done what many parents hope to do. He left the … [Read more...] about What Will Your Children Actually Keep?
The Day Mom Couldn’t Answer
Estimated read time: ~5 minutes. For years, everyone asked Elaine the questions. Where is the insurance card? Which cousin is hosting Thanksgiving? Did Dad’s old life insurance policy ever get closed? Who has the spare key? What was the name of the plumber? Did she want the lemon tree trimmed back or left alone? Elaine always knew. That was her role in the family. She was the keeper of names, dates, bills, passwords, recipes, grudges, birthdays, and backup plans. … [Read more...] about The Day Mom Couldn’t Answer
A Five Star Review to Remember
Our latest client Regina Zeigler didn’t leave a five-star review because someone was “nice.” She left it because she felt relief—the kind you only feel when you realize you didn’t just buy documents… you bought certainty. Here’s what Regina wrote: “I am so glad that several years ago I set up my Estate Plan with Attorney Collins and her Collins Law Group. They are comprehensive, attentive, thoughtful and more. In setting up my estate plan they take time to ask enough questions to … [Read more...] about A Five Star Review to Remember
Remembering Jesse Jackson
A Life of Faith, Courage, and Forward Motion This morning, we pause with reverence. The Reverend Jesse Jackson has passed from this life, and with him a generation’s living memory of marches, sermons, negotiations, and unrelenting moral appeal. He was not simply a witness to history. He was one of its steady hands. Born in 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson entered a segregated America that had already drawn lines around his future. Yet even as a young man, he believed … [Read more...] about Remembering Jesse Jackson
Dr. King’s Dream Didn’t End With a Speech; It Lives in the Legacy You Protect
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the country often reaches for the same handful of quotes—beautiful, familiar, and safe. But Dr. King didn’t live safely. He lived urgently. He spoke with moral clarity that costs you comfort. And he asked America to do something harder than “remember”: he asked us to build. King understood that justice isn’t an idea you admire. It’s a structure you design. It’s the difference between a promise and a plan. It’s the work of making sure the people you love are … [Read more...] about Dr. King’s Dream Didn’t End With a Speech; It Lives in the Legacy You Protect
Reverse Mortgage, No Trust: How Families Lose the Home They Worked a Lifetime For
On a cool December evening in Inglewood, the Lopez family gathered around the dining table with a stack of papers and a knot in their stomachs. For years, Grandma Rosa told her kids, “When I’m gone, this house will give you a little breathing room. Pay off a few bills. Help the grandkids get started.” She didn’t promise four years of tuition and a dorm room. She talked about something much more real: a cushion. A little help with credit cards. Maybe a semester or two at community college, some … [Read more...] about Reverse Mortgage, No Trust: How Families Lose the Home They Worked a Lifetime For
Men, Alzheimer’s, and the Hand-Off That Protects Your Wife, Your Home, and Your Dignity
Here’s the quiet reality most men don’t talk about: when memory slips, the bills don’t. The mortgage won’t pause, the insurance company won’t wait, and your wife—already carrying the emotional load—suddenly becomes CFO, COO, and nurse. A revocable living trust is how you lighten that load now and stage a clean hand-off later. You stay fully in charge while you’re well; then, when you can’t—or when you’re gone—your successor trustee steps in with authority, instructions, and a checklist you … [Read more...] about Men, Alzheimer’s, and the Hand-Off That Protects Your Wife, Your Home, and Your Dignity
Trusts, Taxes, and Cyber Safety—Featuring Tereina Stidd, the new Director of Education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys
Pictured above with Tereina Stidd, The new Director of Education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys; Attorney Collins spent the Fall Summit in the main engine room of modern planning: where trust design, tax policy, and cybersecurity converge into the real-life decisions families make under pressure. The tone of the weekend was unmistakable: practical, surgical, and focused on what works when memories fade, markets swing, and inboxes get hacked. Field-tested playbooks ready … [Read more...] about Trusts, Taxes, and Cyber Safety—Featuring Tereina Stidd, the new Director of Education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys
Young Parents, Big Decisions: Why Your Will (and Trust) Can’t Wait
Estimated read time: 6 minutes When you’re raising kids, estate planning feels like something for “later.” Between daycare pickups, pediatric appointments, and trying to get everyone to sleep on time, it’s easy to push a will to the bottom of the list. Yet for young parents, a will is not optional—it’s how you decide who would raise your children if something happened to you. Without it, a judge decides. Full stop. The latest Caring.com survey found that only 24% of Americans have a will, and … [Read more...] about Young Parents, Big Decisions: Why Your Will (and Trust) Can’t Wait
