Sometimes it seems like life is all about planning – your work day, gym time, visits to the vet, what to have for dinner. But have you planned what will happen to your assets when you’re gone? Estate planning may arguably be more important than anything else on your calendar.

In this episode, Tim Volk introduces Scott Squillace, estate planning attorney, founder of Squillace & Associates, and fellow member of the LGBTQ+ community, to talk about the importance of estate planning related to the five capitals of a flourishing family: human, intellectual, social, spiritual, and financial. Scott shares his experience in estate planning, highlighting its holistic approach. He discusses the benefits of setting up a revocable living trust, the importance of a health care proxy, power of attorney, and keeping estate planning documents updated. They also touch on the topic of estate planning for same-sex and unmarried couples.

Scott and Tim talk about: 

• Scott’s practice and how he became an estate planning attorney
  
• Why everyone should have an estate plan
  
• The key parts of a good estate plan
  
• The differences between a will and a trust
  
• Why estate documents need to be updated regularly
  
• The benefits of a living trust
  
• The different parts of estate planning that are especially important to LGBTQ+ members
  
• What post-death processes we should be aware of
  
• What’s coming up next on The Rainbow Bull with Scott Squillance
  
• And more
  

Resources:

• Whether to Wed: A Legal and Tax Guide for Gay and Lesbian Couples by Scott Squillace
  

Connect with Tim Volk: 

• T. Volk & Company
  
• LinkedIn: T. Volk & Company
  
• LinkedIn: Tim Volk
  
• tim.volk@tvolkco.com
  
• Phone: 312-636-5855
  

Connect with Scott Squillace: 

• Squillace & Associates
  
• LinkedIn: Scott Squillace
  
• X (Twitter): @squillacelaw
  

About our Guest: 

Scott E. Squillace is a business, tax, and estate planning attorney with over 35 years of experience practicing law. He is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, New York, Washington D.C., and New Hampshire, and has been admitted to the Bar in Paris, France as an Avocat. He holds his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in New York; has studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris and earned his J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is married and lives in Boston and Palm Springs, CA, with his husband and two silver labs.

As the founder of Squillace & Associates, P.C. – a boutique law firm in Boston’s historic Back Bay – Scott now specializes in estate and business planning matters including tax and philanthropic planning for high-net-worth individuals and families. His practice includes estate planning needs for international clientele, corporate executives, small business owners, physicians, attorneys, and other professionals. He has a focus on helping same-sex couples and members of the LGBTQ community with their unique planning needs and authored Whether to Wed: A Legal and Tax Guide for Gay and Lesbian Couples. Scott was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick in 2014 to serve on a Commission to study the needs of the LGBTQ elder community. Scott served as Founder and Co-Chair of the Equality Fund, an endowment for the LGBTQ Community established at The Boston Foundation. He has been a columnist for Practical Estate Planning and lectures and writes frequently on estate and business planning as well as charitable giving strategies and planning for the LGBTQ community.