You’ve built a life with someone you love – sharing a home, experiences, and maybe even finances – but without legal marriage, the law doesn’t automatically recognize your relationship. That means if something happens to you, your partner could be left without legal rights to your property, finances, or even decisions about your medical care. […]

October 20–26, 2025 is Estate Planning Awareness Week – a national observance created to encourage Americans to think about what will happen to their loved ones and their assets after they die. For many people, the term estate planning brings to mind stacks of legal documents, a will, a trust, a healthcare directive, or powers […]

When someone you love dies, grief hits hard enough. But imagine adding legal chaos, confusing paperwork, and no one to guide you through it all. That’s the reality for thousands of people every year who are left to navigate a confusing, messy, and expensive legal and financial process without support. In this article, you’ll read […]

A typical initial consultation with an estate planning lawyer may look like this: you meet, you answer questions about your family and assets, and the lawyer tells you what documents you need – typically a will, trust, health care directive, and power of attorney – and what they will cost. This is a recipe for […]

If you’re like most people, you probably assume that when the time comes, someone—your spouse, your children, or maybe a close friend—will be there to take care of you. But the truth is, more Americans than ever are living alone as they age, often without a clear plan for support. According to AARP, more than […]

Losing someone you love reshapes your world in ways you may never expect. Some changes are obvious—you no longer share birthdays, dinners, or conversations. But the harder truth is that grief often weaves itself into the smallest details of daily life. You may notice it when you pour coffee into only one mug, when you […]

Our colleague told us a story recently. Her son moved into his first apartment at college and had to go grocery shopping on his own for the first time. After he got back from the store, he called her in disbelief: “Food is so expensive! Can you help me figure out how to meal plan […]

A client once told us she would give anything to hear her grandmother’s voice again. Her grandmother had been the heart of the family—the one who told stories about how she survived the Great Depression and how she fell in love with her husband. But when she passed away, those stories went with her. They […]

Picture this: You and your spouse spend decades building a successful business, accumulating assets, and creating a stable life for your family. You think you’ve done everything right with your estate planning. Then tragedy strikes, and a simple paperwork error costs your children $1.5 million in taxes they never should have owed. This isn’t a […]

Labor Day has always been about honoring the American worker—the people who build our communities, power our economy, and create the foundation of our society. But this year, as we fire up our grills and enjoy that long weekend, there’s an elephant in the room that deserves our attention. For millions of working families, every […]