Estate Planning Resources
Practical guidance on wills, trusts, probate, business succession planning, and protecting the people and businesses you care about most.
What Happens to Your Retirement Accounts After You Die? (And How to Protect Them)
For many Southern Utah families—especially business owners—retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs aren’t just part of the plan… they are the plan. In fact, these accounts often make up one of the largest portions of a family’s wealth. So naturally, one of the most important questions becomes: What actually [...]
Creating a Trust in Your Will vs. Creating a Living Trust: Part 1
If you own a business, property, or other assets in Southern Utah, you’ve probably heard that trusts help families avoid probate and protect what you’ve built. Many people come to us saying something like, “I think I need a trust.” Sometimes a lawyer may suggest including a trust inside [...]
Why There’s No Such Thing as a “Quick” Estate Plan Review
It is common for someone to call an estate planning attorney and ask for a “quick look” at their documents. The request usually sounds simple enough. Perhaps the plan was created through an online service and they want reassurance that everything is valid. Maybe they recently moved to Utah [...]
Understanding Inheritance Taxes in Utah: What Your Family Really Needs to Know
When you’ve worked hard to build a business, grow investments, and provide for your family, the last thing you want is for taxes to take a bigger bite than necessary. One of the most common questions we hear from Southern Utah families is: “Will my kids have to pay [...]
When Should You Fire a Client? Signs It’s Time to Part Ways (And How to Do It Right)
Most business owners start out wanting to serve well, solve real problems, and build something meaningful. But at some point, nearly every business runs into a client relationship that turns sour. Maybe the client ignores boundaries.Maybe they constantly question your expertise.Maybe they drain so much energy that it affects [...]
What Happens to Your Debt When You Die? What Every Family Should Know
One of the most common questions we hear is this:“If I die with debt, will my family have to pay it?” The honest answer? It depends.It depends on the type of debt, how your assets are set up, and whether anyone else is legally tied to what you owe. [...]
Where Will You Live—and How Will You Pay for Care—as You Age? A Practical Legal Guide for Families
Whether you’re planning for your own future or helping aging parents, deciding where to live and how to pay for care isn’t just a housing question. It’s a legal, financial, and family decision that can impact your savings, your business, and your loved ones for years—sometimes generations. And here’s [...]
What Happens to All Your Stuff When You Die? (And Why Your Family Is Quietly Panicking)
You unlock your parents’ front door for the first time since the funeral. Closets are packed with decades of clothes. Cabinets overflow with dishes no one has used since the Reagan administration. The garage? A maze of tools, holiday décor, and boxes labeled “miscellaneous” (which is never helpful). Drawers [...]
Got Retirement Savings? Read This Before You Do Anything Else
The SECURE Act 2.0 introduced some of the most significant changes to retirement planning in decades. While many people assume it only affects their personal retirement accounts—or aren’t aware of the changes at all—the truth is this law directly impacts how your loved ones will access your retirement accounts [...]