Photo of Erin D. Nicholls

Erin is a Partner in Wiggin and Dana’s Private Client Services Department, where she focuses her practice on a wide range of tax, estate, and business planning matters. She is Co-Chair of the Family Office and Strategic Investments Group.

In that role, Erin works with individuals, family offices, and closely held businesses on issues related to wealth preservation, taxation, business succession planning, and charitable giving. She also counsels tax-exempt entities throughout all phases of their formation and compliance, and she advises a multinational financial institution with respect to fiduciary duties and trust administration.

Outside of the office, Erin is a fellow on the Connecticut Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Land, and she is an active member of the Connecticut Bar Association.

For many potential home buyers, purchasing a home can be daunting, especially in today’s housing market. It is often a huge financial burden, and many will need some assistance to close the deal. On this episode of “Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss several available options to assist with

There has been a longstanding effort globally and a lot of pressure on the United States to implement some sort of registry on a federal level for ownership of small and mid-sized entities. On today’s episode of “Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear chat with Partner Carolyn Reers about the

Funding education at any level can be a large expense and may require a lot of advanced planning. In this episode of “Future Focused: Sophisticated Estate Planning,” hosts Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss key strategies for funding educational expenses. They explore various options, including the direct payment of tuition, 529 educational funding plans, and

Trustees behaving badly? In this episode of “Future Focused,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss trusts and mechanisms available for a trust beneficiary to remove a trustee. From understanding the roles of trustees and educating beneficiaries to exploring communication breakdowns, compromise options, and even judicial routes, Michael and Erin provide expert insights and strategies

In this episode of “Future Focused,” Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear discuss the operation of family foundations as a wealth planning strategy. They highlight the trade-offs between donor advised funds and private foundations, focusing on the annual requirements of private foundations. They cover topics such as federal reporting, the 5% minimum distribution requirement, state-level

With summer swiftly approaching, many families will be celebrating high school graduations and making plans to send those children off to college. But many are not prepared for the reality that parents lose their ability to access health and financial information related to their children after those children become young adults. Parents, therefore, may find

On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they dive into a discussion on jurisdiction selection in the context of advanced planning strategies. What does it mean to select a jurisdiction when establishing a trust and what benefits are available when considering one jurisdiction over another? Erin and Michael address these questions

On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they discuss mechanisms we have at our disposal to “fix” an irrevocable trust. The use of decanting, which is traditionally thought of as moving all the assets of one trust to a new trust, is one such mechanism. With the adoption of the Uniform

On this episode, join Partners Erin Nicholls and Michael Clear as they discuss key considerations when addressing Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax. With a particular focus on interesting planning opportunities and things to look out for when addressing GST tax, Erin and Michael emphasize the importance of thinking strategically about GST tax and its effects on