Note From the Editor: July/August 2026
There’s an old Yiddish proverb, “Man plans, and God laughs,” which highlights life’s unpredictability. This proverb comes into play for practitioners fashioning estate plans for their clients. It’s always important to draft for flexibility and have a Plan B that accounts for various contingencies that may arise. One such contingency is when a trust beneficiary develops a significant disability or adult-onset mental illness, resulting in substantial caregiving and support costs that can rapidly deplete trust assets. As Amy C. O’Hara explains in her article, “Contingent Supplemental Needs Trusts,” p. 38, every client can benefit from incorporating contingent special needs provisions into their estate plan. Her article goes on to explain how these types of provisions can help clients be better prepared for life’s eventualities.
Unpredictable outcomes may come from other sources, like market and political volatility. As geopolitical and economic uncertainty persist, many ultra-high-net-worth clients are seeking to diversify their citizenship. In “The Trend Towards Global Mobility,” p. 60, John Maniatis and J. Andrew P. Stone explain the benefits of dual citizenship as well as the tax and estate-planning implications.
Of course, nothing can be as confusing and unpredictable to Baby Boomer and Gen X parents and advisors as the needs and motivations of the rising generations. Jane Flanagan attempts to bridge the gap between the generations in her article “Building Real Relationships With the Rising Gen,” p. 42. She explains the importance of investing in relationships with your client’s adult children and offers tips for building trust with them.
