Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1541925
wbjournal.com | December 15, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 19 By Katherine R. Dorval Katherine R. Dorval is an established estate planning attorney at Bowditch & Dewey, a law firm in Worcester, Boston, Framingham, and Plymouth. 1. Outdated documents. Life is constantly changing, whether that be through marriages, divorces, births, deaths, and/or assets. Your estate plan should evolve with those changes. One of the most common mistakes is failing to update your will, trust, or beneficiary designations. An ex- spouse could unintentionally remain the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. 2. Failing to fund a trust. Creating a trust is a powerful estate planning tool, but only if your assets actually flow through it. That means transferring ownership of your assets (such as real estate, life insurance, bank accounts, and investments) into the name of the trust or naming the trust as a beneficiary is essential. If you neglect this step, those assets may go through a more time-consuming and usually more costly probate process. Even worse, if there are old beneficiary designations in place or joint owners named, your assets may go to the wrong beneficiaries entirely. 3. Not planning for incapacity. Estate planning isn't just about what happens after you die or minimizing estate taxes. It's also about protecting yourself while you're alive. Without documents like a durable power of attorney and a healthcare proxy, your family could be forced to go to court to make decisions for you if you become incapacitated. 4. Ambiguous or conflicting instructions. Vague language or conflicting terms in your documents can lead to confusion, disputes, and litigation among your heirs. If your will says one thing and your beneficiary designation says another, the latter usually takes precedence. Clear, consistent instructions across all documents are essential. 5. Ignoring estate taxes and debts. Many people assume their heirs will receive everything they leave behind, but estate taxes and outstanding debts can significantly reduce what's passed on. Without proper tax planning, a large estate could be hit with a hefty estate tax bill (which is especially true for Massachusetts residents), and creditors may have a claim to assets. 6) An estate plan is not just one document. It's many, and it should be reviewed regularly to make sure it still reflects your wishes. It requires regular review and thoughtful attention to detail. Working with qualified professionals and revisiting your plan as life changes can help ensure your wishes are honored and your loved ones are protected. It's time to change your marketing BY JILL MCSORLEY WBJ Editorial Intern A s new graduates enter the workforce, it is important for managers to give them tools to become successful within the company. Incorporating younger generations can be a bit of a shi, but current employees will not be around forever and well- trained replacements will be needed. Focus on training. Managers must invest in the training of these new hires and understand each individual learns differently. Effective training is the best way to ensure graduates understand company goals and expectations. "En- sure you create a comprehensive plan of action, detailing the different sections of training your new employee will be completing. Outlining the learning and Incorporating new graduates into your workforce BY JULIA BECKER COLLINS Special to WBJ M arketing is no longer what it was even a year ago. As technology, platforms, and user behavior continue to shi, businesses that fail to keep up are losing both money and customers. Yet, many companies rely on the same tools, strategies, and platforms they've used for years. Just like we've seen with post- COVID workplace changes, marketing has entered a new era: one where data, adaptability, and intentional action mat- ter more than ever. If your marketing hasn't changed since 2020 or 2024, it's time to reassess. The audience you built may no longer be where you're speaking. You need to assess who your ideal clients are: those who are buying your products and those who you want to buy your products. en take a hard look at where you do your social media marketing. Your followers might still be on Instagram, but are they the ones buy- ing? Younger audiences live on TikTok. Professionals are spending more time on LinkedIn. If you're marketing where your audience used to be, you're spending money and time on content that's likely being ignored. You need to track the demographics of the platforms you're on and respond to the changing landscape, not just stick to what feels familiar. It's easy to get into the set-it-and-forget-it mindset, but if engagement is down, you're losing the top of your sales funnel. AI is a tool, not a strategy. We've all seen AI-generated content in marketing. When it supports the mar- keting work, it can be a time-saver and idea-maker. However, easier marketing can quickly become low-effort marketing. AI can help with brainstorming, draing, and even visual creation, but it doesn't know your brand voice, custom- er pain points, or strategy. ink of AI as an intern: helpful and fast, but in need of training and supervision. It's a great support tool when combined with the knowledge and expertise of a marketing professional. Marketing that's never launched won't help you. We've seen it time and again: Busi- nesses delay launching campaigns because it's not perfect yet. ey rewrite captions, redo videos, and overanalyze strategy. Meanwhile, competitors are gaining visibility simply by showing up consistently. e exact definition of "Don't let perfection be the enemy of the good." Marketing is a long game. You don't need to go viral to win; you just need to keep showing up. Don't wait for flawless. Publish the post, share the story, send the email. You can't improve what doesn't exist. Momentum is vital to digital marketing. e sooner you can get out there, the sooner you can build the momentum. It's understandable to be conservative as a business owner and not adopt tech- nology and platforms until they mature. But that time has come, and your mar- keting has to catch up. Your audience expects relevance, responsiveness, and authenticity. If you or your team don't have the skills to perform market re- search, navigate AI tools, or adapt your platform strategy, you need to develop them. Or bring in someone who can. e cost of inaction will be much greater than the cost of change. 10 THINGS I know ... ... That could go wrong with your estate plan development outcomes from each sec- tion will ensure your new employee will understand exactly what is expected of them and how it will improve their role," according to a 2017 article corporate training firm MDA Training posted to its website. Understand their generation. e education of graduates differs greatly from that of previous generations. e involvement of technology is more prominent and has advanced the ways students are learning and engaging in school. Managers must recognize these differences when hiring and make each introduction to the company unique and purposeful. "It's crucial to under- stand what these workforce entrants are looking for and cra strategies that meet them where they are today. You need to consider how their experience with technology, like AI, has shaped their un- derstanding of the world," Caitlin Mac- Gregor writes in an article for Forbes. Emphasize growth. Introducing recent graduates to the company is important, but it may be even more important for managers to relay growth within the organization to encourage them to stick around. Graduates desire a job quickly once they are out of school, and managers should focus on the future and how these hires can become significant to the company's success. "Although recent grads do want to contribute to the organization, they also want to make sure they are developing their own skills and career paths, right from the start. If they don't believe there's something in it for them, their performance may show it," Chris Resto writes in an article for Harvard Business Review. W W W Julia Becker Collins is the chief operating officer at Northborough marketing agency Vision Advertising. She can be reached at julia@vision-advertising.com.