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Review of Reviews: “A Taxonomy of Testamentary Intent,” 25 Geo. Mason L. Rev. (forthcoming 2016)Review of Reviews: “A Taxonomy of Testamentary Intent,” 25 Geo. Mason L. Rev. (forthcoming 2016)

Mark Glover, assistant professor of law at University of Wyoming College of Law in Laramie, Wyo.

Edward J. Finley II, Managing Director and Private Client Advisor

June 25, 2015

10 Min Read
Review of Reviews: “A Taxonomy of Testamentary Intent,” 25 Geo. Mason L. Rev. (forthcoming 2016)

It’s a funny phrase, “testamentary intent.” It’s a little like “ATM Machine” or “PIN Number.”

The word “testament” comes to us from Roman law (via the Norman Conquest). A “testamentum” in Roman law, from the word “testari” meaning “to witness or testify,” was a formal “expression of intent” for the disposition of property at death. There were three different methods of executing a testamentum, but they all had in common certain formalities (for example, competent witnesses, the decedent’s affirmation that he was undertaking to transfer property at death and, in some cases, formal acknowledgement by a judicial body), all designed to ensure the document was a faithful expression of the decedent’s intent.

The same is true for the Anglo-Saxon ...

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About the Author

Edward J. Finley II

Managing Director and Private Client Advisor, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management

Edward Finley is a Managing Director and Private Client Advisor with U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, in New York. Ed leads the design and development of tailored financial strategies for a select group of families, endowments, and foundations. He orchestrates thoughtful initiatives in investment management, trust and estate planning services, wealth strategy, family office services, banking, and philanthropy, integrating the insights and experience of a team of in-house specialists. As the lead relationship manager, Ed works closely with clients to facilitate informed decision-making and active stewardship of wealth.

Ed has worked in wealth management since 1991. Prior to joining U.S. Trust, Ed spent thirteen years with J.P. Morgan Private Bank in New York, where he was a Managing Director and Senior Banker consulting to high net worth families, closely held businesses, charitable foundations and non-governmental organizations. He began his career practicing law with Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, and Kirkland & Ellis, where he focused on domestic and international trust and estate planning services. His career also includes a tenure with Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP, where he advised families on wealth strategy and estate administration.

Ed is an adjunct Professor at the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce, where he teaches the advanced quantitative finance seminar in investment management. He is a frequent lecturer and author on wealth management issues and serves on the editorial board of Trusts & Estates  magazine.

Ed earned his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from the University of Chicago.* He lives in New York City with his husband and two children.

*In his role at U.S. Trust, Ed does not provide legal advice.