Tuesday Triage

February 11, 2026

Hi there,

 

On Sunday, our family added a fourth dog — temporarily.

My daughter and I drove to Detroit Dog Rescue to pick up a foster puppy named Boots. We already have three dogs, which felt manageable. Adding a fourth felt aspirational but we were up for the challenge.

 

The next day, I decided to take all four dogs for a walk. In my mind, Boots would simply follow the lead of the others and we’d stroll through Royal Oak in calm formation.

 

Instead, within one block, one dog was barking across the street, another climbed onto a snowbank to poop, a third joined the barking chaos, and Boots tried to climb up my leg while the leashes wrapped around me. It was complete chaos.

 

And that scene isn’t too different from what can happen in estate planning, which can also lead to inadvertent chaos.

We often assume that when money, grief, and family history collide, everything will work itself out. That our children will “keep things fair” and that everyone will interpret our intentions the same way we do. But assumptions about fairness don’t always hold up in real life.

That’s exactly what this week’s Tuesday Triage episode is about.

 

A listener named Jessica is thinking about gifting her house to one of her children while she’s still alive. Her Will divides everything equally between her three children, and she wants to make sure that giving away the house now doesn’t accidentally create conflict later.

In this episode, I walk through:

We even look at a real Michigan court case where one lifetime gift led to years litigation between siblings. Fairness isn’t just about intention, it’s about clarity. And clarity usually requires documentation.

One common way to handle this is through something called an equalization clause in a Will or trust. This language tells the person administering your estate to account for certain lifetime gifts when dividing assets.

Check out a sample equalization clause.

If you’ve ever wondered how to keep things fair between your children when making lifetime gifts, this episode will help you think through the issue before it becomes a problem.

If your estate plan currently exists in pieces — a Will here, beneficiary forms there, conversations still in your head — The Death Readiness Playbook helps you connect it all.

 

With Valentine’s Day this week, it’s a good reminder that love isn’t just what we say, it’s how we prepare. If getting prepared has been on your “I’ll do this later” list, now is a great time to start.

Use the code LOVE for $5 off through Valentine's Day.

Thanks for being here.