Photo of Ruth Fortune

Ruth is an Associate in the firm’s Private Client Services Department.

Ruth has extensive experience working with clients with a broad range of assets, including high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners. She is proud to work with clients of all ages from diverse backgrounds and family structures. Ruth applies her substantive legal knowledge to the unique circumstances and family dynamics of each client to advise on planning strategies that meet her clients’ personal objectives.

Ruth works with fiduciaries throughout the entire probate process. She advises fiduciaries on trust administration and has experience modernizing outdated trust terms through nonjudicial settlement agreements, decanting and more.

She is an effective speaker and presents on topics such as estate planning, estate administration, asset protection and intergenerational wealth transfer.

Ruth is highly engaged in her community and is deeply committed to pro bono service, particularly the representation of underserved and marginalized children. She currently serves as a Board Member on the Estate and Business Planning Council (EBPC) of Hartford, the Hartford County Bar Association, and the Hartford Board of Education, where she chairs the Policy Committee. Additionally, she is the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Betty Knox Foundation, which provides grants to organizations serving Hartford residents.

Navigating the tax landscape during estate administration is like solving a complex puzzle with each piece representing opportunity and risk. One challenge is determining where key expenses can be deducted – on the estate tax return (Form 706) and/or the estate’s income tax return (Form 1041). Making this decision impacts the estate’s overall tax liability

In a previous Wiggin and Dana advisory, we highlighted a new “decanting” statute in Connecticut. As described in that advisory, effective January 1, 2025, Connecticut will specifically authorize “decanting” the assets of an otherwise irrevocable trust into a new trust with improved terms. The statute outlines precisely what kinds of trusts can and cannot be

A directed trust is a sophisticated planning technique that divides the traditional duties of a trustee among more than one person or institution.  Unlike a standard trust with multiple co-trustees, all of whom would share the same duties, a directed trust makes each “trust director” responsible for a different type of task on behalf of