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Is Your Old Estate Plan a Time Bomb? Why Credit Shelter Trusts May Be Costing Your Family

By John F. Davenport, Esq. | Davenport & Associates, Norwalk, CT | April 13, 2026 If your estate plan was written before 2018, there is a good chance it contains a provision that was once considered essential but is now, for most families, doing more harm than good. It is called a credit shelter trust,… View Article

Americans Think They Need $1.46 Million to Retire. Here Is What You Actually Need.

By John F. Davenport, Esq. | Davenport & Associates, Norwalk, CT | April 9th, 2026 Northwestern Mutual just released their 2026 Planning & Progress Study, and the headline number is getting a lot of attention: Americans now believe they need $1.46 million to retire comfortably. That is up more than 15 percent from last year… View Article

Long-Term Care Costs in 2026: How to Protect Your Assets Before Medicaid Rules Change

By John F. Davenport, Esq.  |  Davenport & Associates, Norwalk, CT  |  April 7, 2026 Nobody plans for a nursing home. And then one day, it becomes the only conversation that matters. The average semi-private nursing home room in the United States now costs $114,975 per year. In Connecticut, that number is significantly higher. And… View Article

Inherited IRA 10-Year Rule in 2026: What Every Beneficiary Must Do to Avoid the 25% Penalty

If you inherited an IRA from a parent, spouse, or loved one after January 1, 2020, the rules changed significantly, and many beneficiaries have no idea. The IRS finalized regulations in 2024 that clarified a critical point: if the original IRA owner had already begun taking Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) before they died, you as… View Article

Will vs. Revocable Living Trust in 2026: The Difference and Which One Your Family Actually Needs

One of the most common questions I hear from families at their first estate planning meeting is a simple one: Do I need a will or a trust? What is actually the difference? It is a reasonable question. And the honest answer for most families is: you need both. But they do completely different jobs,… View Article

Medicare Costs Just Jumped 10% in 2026: What Every Retiree Needs to Know Before March 31

If you are on Medicare, or approaching eligibility, 2026 brought a cost increase you cannot afford to ignore. The standard Medicare Part B premium jumped from $185 to $202.90 per month in 2026. That is a nearly 10% increase in a single year, and the first time the Part B premium has ever exceeded $200…. View Article