Taxation & Estate Planning

Tired of the same old items on a wedding gift registry? An article in the Boston Globe points out that some couples are looking to register for more useful things - like legal services.  It makes sense; once you are married you'll need a Will, perhaps to update your health care proxy and power of attorney to appoint your new spouse, maybe you need assistance with getting your names changed, or you want to put the house in both names.

Just think of the possibilities - for an engagement party the couple could register for gift certificates to their respective attorneys to have a prenuptial agreement drawn up, then after the wedding they need to begin their estate plan, and once the babies start to arrive the estate plan needs to be updated with trusts and guardians. 

So if you have lots of weddings to go to this summer and can't stand the thought of buying another crystal vase or pasta strainer, maybe the couple would welcome a contribution towards the cost of their estate plan.