Podcast
Roots & Rights: Securing Tomorrow
Roots & Rights: Securing Tomorrow is a weekly podcast from The Robinson Advocacy Group on probate avoidance, trusts, Medicaid and long-term care planning, incapacity, inheritance, and business succession — with a particular focus on protecting family land and building generational wealth in Black families across Alabama and Texas. New episodes publish every Wednesday, and all 51 episodes are listed below.
Hosted by Attorney Gregory Robinson. Listen on the podcast site.
Probate & heirs' property
Will vs. Trust: Why Probate Happens
This episode breaks down why a will does not keep your family out of probate, and how a revocable living trust can offer privacy, incapacity protection, multistate property coverage, and more control over when heirs receive assets.
Why a Will Won’t Keep You Out of Probate
Learn why having a will alone does not keep your family out of probate court, and how frozen assets, public filings, and court delays can complicate estate settlement. The episode also explains how living trusts can help preserve privacy and speed up the transfer of assets—if they’re properly funded.
Small Estates, Big Probate Costs
This episode breaks down why small estates can get trapped in costly full probate and explains how state-specific shortcuts like small estate affidavits and summary distribution can save families time and money.
Probate Costs Exposed: Alabama, Texas, and the Escape Plan
This episode breaks down how probate can quietly drain an estate through court fees, bonds, attorney costs, and ongoing property expenses, with a close look at the differences between Alabama and Texas procedures.
Why a Will Can Cost Your Family the House
This episode breaks down why a simple will can send families into a costly probate process, where court fees, attorney costs, and title issues can quickly drain home equity. It also explains how tangled title, lost exemptions, and lack of proof of ownership can leave heirs vulnerable, and why tools like revocable living trusts and…
Why Adding Your Kids to the Deed Can Backfire
This episode breaks down why putting a child on your home’s deed can trigger avoidable capital-gains, gift-tax, and liability problems. It also covers safer options like transfer-on-death deeds and revocable living trusts that can bypass probate without putting your family at risk.
Juneteenth, Heirs’ Property, and Protecting Black Land
Attorney Gregory Robinson explores how Juneteenth connects to the fight for economic freedom, revealing the steep decline in Black land ownership and the hidden risks of heirs’ property. He explains why wills, trusts, and family LLCs are essential tools for protecting generational wealth and preserving family legacy.
Heirs' Property and the Cost of Silence
Attorney Gregory Robinson explains how dying without a will can trigger intestacy, probate delays, and costly partition sales that can fracture families and erase generational wealth. He also shares practical steps for protecting your legacy with a will, trust, and updated beneficiary designations.
Prince, Aretha, and the Cost of Dying Without a Will
Attorney Gregory Robinson breaks down how the estates of Aretha Franklin, Prince, and Chadwick Boseman became cautionary tales about probate, public family conflict, and costly legal delays.
The Invisible Thief: Protecting Your Family’s Home and Equity
Attorney Gregory Robinson explores the "tangled title" crisis and how dying without a will leaves family homes vulnerable to predatory investors and tax foreclosures. Learn how strategic estate planning can secure your intergenerational wealth and protect your family's legacy.
When a Will Isn’t Enough: Why Culturally Relevant Estate Planning Matters
This episode explores why standard estate planning often falls short for African American families and what culturally relevant planning looks like in practice. How heirs’ property, probate, and unclear title can put family land at risk Why trust planning and beneficiary designations only work when they reflect real family ownership…
Honoring Heritage: How Culture Shapes Estate Planning for African American Families
Attorney Gregory D. Robinson examines how African American cultural values, history, and lived experience shape estate planning decisions. Drawing on real-world scenarios, he explores topics like heirs’ property, informal land transfers, church and community ties, and the impact of mistrust in legal and financial systems.
Protecting Family Land and Legacy
Explore the challenges of heirs’ property and common probate pitfalls that threaten family assets, especially in communities of color. Discover strategies like trusts, family offices, and legal tools to safeguard your legacy with confidence.
Untangling Heirs' Property Challenges
Explore the complex world of heirs' property—where family, law, and legacy intersect. Attorney Gregory Robinson breaks down the legal hurdles, family tensions, and smart strategies every property owner should know to protect their legacy. Hear real stories and practical tips for securing what matters most.
Avoiding Common Probate Pitfalls
Join Attorney Gregory Robinson as he breaks down the most frequent mistakes families encounter in the probate process, and shares proven tactics to sidestep conflict and maximize estate value. With expert insight and relatable stories, this episode delivers the clarity needed to protect your family’s legacy.
Wills & trusts
Trust Funding: Why Your Living Trust Is Still Empty
This episode breaks down trust funding—why signing a living trust is not the same as putting assets into it. Learn how to properly retitle a home, handle mortgages and homestead rules, keep retirement accounts out of the trust, and update beneficiary forms so your plan actually works. Show Notes The Garn-St.
Home in a Trust Podcast Audio Episode
Learn how a revocable living trust can keep a family home out of probate, protect privacy, and make inheritance smoother for your loved ones. The episode also breaks down the difference between revocable and irrevocable trusts, the importance of properly funding a trust, and why choosing the right trustee matters.
Trusts 101: Building Blocks for Legacy and Asset Protection
Attorney Greg Robinson breaks down the core types of trusts, shows how they work for families and business owners, and shares real stories that reveal the practical strategies behind legal planning. Learn expert-backed solutions to shield assets, streamline inheritance, and avoid probate headaches.
Medicaid & long-term care
When You’re Over the Income Limit by $80
Attorney Greg Robinson explains how a Qualified Income Trust (QIT), or Miller trust, allows applicants in income-cap states to achieve Medicaid eligibility when their gross income exceeds statutory limits. The discussion covers permissible asset spend-downs, spousal protection allowances, and the strict monthly mechanics required to properly fund and operate a QIT.
What Long-Term Care Actually Costs a Family
Nursing home and care costs can vary widely—and families often don’t get a price until a decision feels urgent. Attorney Gregory Robinson compares 2024 costs for Alabama and Texas with national figures, then explains how private pay, long-term care insurance, Medicare, Veterans Aid and Attendance, and Medicaid may cover different stages of care.
Can Medicaid Take Your House? The Truth About Nursing Homes and Estate Recovery
Discover the truth about Medicaid asset rules and learn why panic-selling or quickly deeding away a family home can trigger catastrophic financial penalties. We break down the 60-month look-back period, Medicaid Estate Recovery, and the critical legal tools—from Lady Bird deeds to caregiver child exemptions—that protect your family's generational wealth.
Medicaid Trusts: Save the House, Lose Control
Learn how a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust can help protect a family home from long-term care costs, and why the five-year lookback makes early planning essential. The episode also covers the tradeoffs of irrevocable trusts, keeping the right to live in the home, and preserving tax benefits for heirs.
Stop the Crisis Trap: Protect Your Family Before the Call
This episode explains why waiting until a medical emergency can leave families powerless, locked out of accounts, and forced into costly probate or conservatorship battles. It also lays out how to start the kitchen table conversation and use tools like durable powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and trusts to preserve control and…
Protecting Family Homes from Medicaid Recovery
Attorney Gregory Robinson explains how Medicaid estate recovery can put family homes at risk and why long-term care planning matters for aging Black families. He outlines proactive strategies like irrevocable trusts, life estate deeds, and durable powers of attorney to help preserve generational wealth.
How Medicaid Can Put Your Family Home at Risk
Attorney Gregory Robinson explains how Medicaid estate recovery and the five-year lookback rule can turn a family home into a target for state recovery after long-term care. He also breaks down proactive planning tools like Medicaid asset protection trusts and life estates, with a focus on preserving generational wealth.
Protecting the Family Home from Long-Term Care Costs
This episode breaks down how long-term care expenses and Medicaid rules can put a paid-off family home at risk, especially when planning happens too late. It also explores how a Medicaid asset protection trust may help preserve a legacy, plus why early, honest family conversations matter.
How a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust Can Help Preserve Generational Wealth
This episode explores how proactive Medicaid planning can protect long-term care options while helping families preserve assets for the next generation. We break down what a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust is, why timing matters, and how careful planning can reduce the risk of spend-down and estate recovery.
Incapacity & guardianship
Avoiding Conservatorship: The 3-Document Plan
This episode explains the steep legal, emotional, and financial costs of court-appointed control for aging adults, including conservatorship fees, investigations, and contested family disputes.
How Special Needs Trusts Protect Benefits and Inheritance
This episode explains how outright gifts and inheritances can unintentionally disrupt SSI and Medicaid, and why the structure of support matters as much as the amount. It also breaks down third-party, first-party, and pooled special needs trusts, plus the trustee and administration choices that help preserve lifelong support.
Planning for Loved Ones with Special Needs
Discover essential strategies for special needs estate planning, including trusts, government benefits, and avoiding common pitfalls. Host Attorney Gregory D. Robinson shares real-life examples and practical steps to empower families in securing a confident and compassionate legacy.
Guardianship Planning for Your Children
Attorney Gregory Robinson breaks down the essential steps and legal considerations for naming guardians for minor children in your estate plan. Hear about the common pitfalls, practical strategies to maintain family harmony, and how careful planning brings real peace of mind to parents.
Inheritance & beneficiaries
Why Equal Inheritance Isn't Always Fair: Smart Trust Strategies for Every Heir
Leaving equal inheritances outright can inadvertently expose your heirs to creditors, divorce settlements, or the loss of vital government benefits. Discover how incorporating spendthrift clauses, third-party special needs trusts, and discretionary distributions can achieve true equity and shield your family's future.
Why Beneficiary Forms Beat Your Will
Learn why beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance policies can override even the best-drafted will or trust, and how forgotten forms can create heartbreaking family disputes.
Why Life Insurance Needs a Trust
This episode reveals why leaving life insurance directly to a minor or spouse can create costly legal and family risks, from probate freezes to accidental disinheritance in second marriages. It then shows how pairing insurance with a revocable living trust can create protected, milestone-based wealth that lasts across generations.
Why Joint Bank Accounts Can Backfire
This episode exposes the hidden risks of adding an adult child to a bank account, from shared ownership and creditor exposure to surprise IRS gift-tax issues. It also explains safer alternatives like a Durable Power of Attorney and payable-on-death designations that protect both your money and your family.
The Paperwork Gap in Black Wealth Transfer
This episode explores why family wealth can disappear when homes, land, and businesses lack clear legal documentation. It breaks down heirs’ property, probate, and succession planning, and explains how turning intentions into signed papers can protect generational wealth.
How Life Insurance Becomes a Legacy Strategy
This episode breaks down why life insurance is more than a payout, especially for families facing taxes, debt, business continuity, and asset-rich but cash-poor estates. It also explores how an irrevocable life insurance trust can help keep proceeds out of the taxable estate while adding structure, protection, and long-term planning.
Beyond Big Mama’s House: Multigenerational Wealth Transfer in Black Families
In this episode of Roots & Rights: Securing Tomorrow, Attorney Gregory D. Robinson, JD, MBA, breaks down what it really takes for Black families to build and protect multigenerational wealth that lasts beyond Big Mama’s house.
Aligning Your Estate and Retirement Plans
Discover how integrating estate planning with retirement goals ensures long-term security and peace of mind. Gregory D. Robinson shares expert advice, real-life cases, and proactive strategies to help families and business owners avoid common pitfalls and protect their legacy.
Digital Assets and Your Legacy
Digital assets, from cryptocurrency wallets to social media profiles, are changing how we plan for the future. Attorney Gregory Robinson explores the practical steps, legal considerations, and cultural shifts necessary to safeguard your online footprint as part of your estate plan.
Blended Families, Blended Legacies
Estate planning in blended families presents unique challenges that require open communication, strategic thinking, and the right legal tools. Attorney Greg Robinson unpacks practical solutions for ensuring fairness and harmony, drawing from both client stories and professional insights.
Life Insurance as a Strategic Tool
Discover how life insurance serves as a critical element in estate and business succession planning. Explore practical ways it can fund buy-sell agreements, provide for heirs, and create financial security for generations. Attorney Gregory Robinson draws on real experience and case studies to bring clarity to these essential strategies.
Family wealth & business legacy
Why Your Will Won’t Keep Your Business Running
This episode explains why a will alone can leave an LLC stranded in probate, with heirs receiving only economic rights while the business loses operational control. It breaks down the three-document shield—succession-ready operating agreements, revocable living trusts, and funded buy-sell agreements—to protect cash flow and preserve…
Divorce, Family Business, and the Fight for Generational Wealth
Gregory D. Robinson breaks down how divorce can trigger business valuations, cash-flow strain, and ownership disputes that put family enterprises at risk. He also shares practical planning tools like prenups, buy-sell agreements, trusts, and clean governance to help preserve control and legacy.
Trusts, Blended Families, and Business Legacy: Protecting Wealth and Avoiding Probate Pitfalls
In this episode of Roots & Rights: Securing Tomorrow, Attorney Gregory Robinson breaks down how trusts can be powerful tools for blended families and business owners who want to protect wealth, avoid heirs’ property traps, and preserve a lasting legacy.
Passing the Torch: Succession Planning for Minority Small-Business Owners
In this episode of Roots & Rights: Securing Tomorrow, Attorney Gregory Robinson sits down to unpack why succession and estate planning are make-or-break issues for minority small-business owners.
Protecting Your Legacy Begins Today
Discover the hidden challenges of heirs’ property and the costly pitfalls of probate that threaten family wealth. Learn how trusts, family offices, and smart asset protection strategies can secure your business and build a lasting legacy, with insights drawn from real stories and expert experience.
Building Family Governance for Succession Success
Explore how families can create effective governance and communication strategies to avoid conflicts during business transitions. With real-world examples and expert advice, we break down the keys to harmonious succession planning.
Securing Your Family Business Legacy
Explore the critical strategies behind a smooth family business succession. Attorney Gregory Robinson breaks down leadership transitions, ownership disputes, and the tax maze—sharing practical tips and legal insights to keep your family's legacy strong across generations.
Armor for Assets
Explore essential strategies for shielding your family's wealth and business assets from creditors and legal threats. Attorney Greg Robinson uncovers advanced legal frameworks, shares case studies, and gives actionable insights to empower confident, future-proof planning.
Estate Planning Essentials for Families and Business Owners
Attorney Gregory Robinson breaks down the essentials of estate planning for families and business owners, using real client stories and actionable strategies. This episode examines the probate process, heirs’ property challenges, and why small businesses need tailored estate planning solutions.
Turning an episode into a plan
Most episodes end where a consultation begins: the concept is clear, but the next step depends on your own assets, family, and state. If something in an episode described your situation, the $50 case assessment is the shortest path from “that sounds like us” to a written recommendation. You can also read the detail on estate planning, Medicaid planning, or the full FAQ.
Episode descriptions are summaries of general legal education and are not legal advice. Listening does not create an attorney-client relationship. Attorney Gregory Robinson is licensed in Alabama; Attorney Hector W.D. Faulk is licensed in Texas.