https://usebancroft.com/blog Long-form essays on trust funding, UPL compliance, white-label estate planning, and advisor practice building from the team at Bancroft. en-us Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://usebancroft.com/blog/michigan-l-4260-property-transfer-affidavit https://usebancroft.com/blog/michigan-l-4260-property-transfer-affidavit Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Michigan requires a Property Transfer Affidavit (L-4260) within 45 days of any deed recording. Most estate platforms generate the deed and stop. Michigan L-4260 L-4260 affidavit Michigan property transfer affidavit MCL 211.27a MCL 211.27b https://usebancroft.com/blog/naming-a-trust-as-ira-beneficiary https://usebancroft.com/blog/naming-a-trust-as-ira-beneficiary Sat, 25 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT How the 2024 final inherited-IRA regulations changed the math on naming a trust as IRA beneficiary, and the household profiles that need review. trust as IRA beneficiary inherited IRA trust see-through trust conduit trust accumulation trust https://usebancroft.com/blog/why-most-trusts-are-never-funded https://usebancroft.com/blog/why-most-trusts-are-never-funded Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Sixty to eighty percent of revocable trusts are never properly funded. The signature page is the finish line. The funding step is where every plan quietly fails. Here is why, and how to fix it. trust funding revocable trust estate planning advisor trust funding automation https://usebancroft.com/blog/attorney-reviewed-vs-attorney-prepared https://usebancroft.com/blog/attorney-reviewed-vs-attorney-prepared Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Attorney-reviewed and attorney-prepared sound alike but describe two different services. Here is the distinction, and why it matters under UPL. attorney reviewed attorney prepared unauthorized practice of law UPL document preparation https://usebancroft.com/blog/hidden-cost-of-brand-interruption https://usebancroft.com/blog/hidden-cost-of-brand-interruption Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Every vendor logo a client sees in a white-label advisor portal creates a small doubt. Small doubts compound. Here is the real cost across a decade. brand interruption white label advisor tech client portal branding advisor branding custom domain advisor https://usebancroft.com/blog/beneficiary-designation-drift https://usebancroft.com/blog/beneficiary-designation-drift Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Beneficiary forms on retirement accounts and insurance policies override the will. When they go stale, the estate plan quietly fails at death. beneficiary designation beneficiary drift ERISA beneficiary SECURE Act 2019 IRA beneficiary trust https://usebancroft.com/blog/post-divorce-estate-planning-audit https://usebancroft.com/blog/post-divorce-estate-planning-audit Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A divorce decree does not update beneficiary forms, trusts, or powers of attorney. Here is the 14-item post-divorce audit advisors should run. post-divorce estate planning beneficiary update after divorce ERISA divorce Kennedy v DuPont Savings Sveen v Melin https://usebancroft.com/blog/simple-will-vs-pour-over-will https://usebancroft.com/blog/simple-will-vs-pour-over-will Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A simple will distributes probate assets. A pour-over will is a safety net for a trust-based plan. Neither avoids probate. Here is the real difference. simple will vs pour-over will pour over will do I need a will if I have a trust UTATA Uniform Testamentary Additions to Trusts Act https://usebancroft.com/blog/aba-opinion-512-ai-estate-planning-tech https://usebancroft.com/blog/aba-opinion-512-ai-estate-planning-tech Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT The ABA’s July 2024 opinion on generative AI maps six Model Rule duties onto lawyer AI use. Here is what that means for advisor-facing legal tech. ABA Opinion 512 ABA Formal Opinion 512 AI in legal practice generative AI attorney ethics Model Rule 5.3 AI https://usebancroft.com/blog/what-happens-when-a-trust-is-unfunded-at-death https://usebancroft.com/blog/what-happens-when-a-trust-is-unfunded-at-death Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT The grantor dies. The trust exists. The trust owns nothing. Here is what actually happens next: probate, cost, time, family conflict, and the advisor relationship that ends quietly in the aftermath. unfunded trust trust funding failure probate estate planning trust funding at death https://usebancroft.com/blog/what-advisors-can-and-cannot-say https://usebancroft.com/blog/what-advisors-can-and-cannot-say Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT The line between educating a client and practicing law is older and clearer than most advisors think. Here are the phrases that keep you safe, the ones that cross the line, and the script for every common client question. estate planning compliance UPL advisor script what can advisors say unauthorized practice of law https://usebancroft.com/blog/funding-letters-what-banks-actually-want https://usebancroft.com/blog/funding-letters-what-banks-actually-want Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT A funding letter is the formal written request that transfers an asset into a trust. Every institution wants something slightly different. Here is what goes into a real funding letter, what banks and brokerages actually require, and why most advisors handle this wrong. funding letter trust funding retitle accounts beneficiary designation certificate of trust https://usebancroft.com/blog/upl-gray-zone-for-advisors https://usebancroft.com/blog/upl-gray-zone-for-advisors Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Document preparation is not the practice of law. Selecting documents on behalf of a client is. The line is older and clearer than most advisors think. The framework, and how to stay on the right side of it. unauthorized practice of law UPL estate planning advisor document preparation https://usebancroft.com/blog/what-white-label-actually-means-in-advisor-tech https://usebancroft.com/blog/what-white-label-actually-means-in-advisor-tech Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT White-label is the worst-defined word in advisor tech. There are five distinct tiers, and most platforms sit at the bottom two. Here is the spectrum, and where each model breaks for advisors. white label advisor tech white label estate planning advisor branding custom domain branded portal