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Orange City Estate Planning Blog

Estate Planning Includes Creating Your Legacy

One of the most overlooked aspects of estate planning is the opportunity to create your legacy. Believe it or not, creating a legacy isn’t all about having Northwest Iowa libraries and hospitals named after you. Instead, there are some more cost-efficient, yet great ways that you can help your family remember your values and beliefs. [Read More]

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Ask the Elder Law Lawyer: How Much Do I Need to Save for Retirement?

If you’re like 70% of people in the US who have a retirement plan, you still haven’t worked with a professional such as an elder law attorney in Northwest Iowa in order to determine how much money you really need to save. A recent study found that only about 30% of this group has actually sat down with a professional to come up with a realistic number. [Read More]

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FAQ: What Happens if I Revoke a Will in Iowa?

There are some common questions which go along with revoking a will, but one of the most asked is whether or not revoking the will revives a prior one. The answer to this question is “probably not.” When setting up your estate planning needs, your attorney will likely help you create a will. If you decide to make changes and create a new will later, the previous version is no longer in effect. [Read More]

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High Five: The Zen Guide to Creating a Will

Over the last seven years of advising clients, I have come to the realization that many people aren’t doing estate planning because it’s intimidating. It’s scary. Depressing. That’s a lot of negative emotion! But I don’t think estate planning is a negative experience – quite the opposite. Follow this guide to finding the Zen of creating your will, and you’ll soon discover that all those negative thoughts have been replaced by peace of mind about your final affairs. [Read More]

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I Digress: Lawyers on the Silver Screen, Redux

We had some great feedback from our Facebook friends about their favorite lawyer movies! Some of you have very eclectic taste in movies. Some of you watch too many movies (you know who you are). Below are some more great lawyer movies that you shared with us across a wide range of genres. Keep the hits coming! [Read More]

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What Does a Probate Lawyer Do?

It is a great idea to hire a probate lawyer before you actually “need” his or her services so things can go as smoothly as possible when it comes to taking an estate through the probate process. Unfortunately, that’s not always how it works. Oftentimes, a person isn’t even aware of what a probate lawyer in Northwest Iowa does until he or she is in need of one. It’s very common to go looking for a probate lawyer in Northwest Iowa once a loved one has passed and help is needed immediately. [Read More]

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I Digress: Lawyer Movies

Scene: 11:30 PM in an Omaha, NE hotel room, Ethan is feeling drowsy after a long day of meetings with other lawyers. He turns on the TV, but the hotel’s cable package is mediocre at best, so he ends up on VH1, of all things. But, surprise! The viewing of choice tonight is a movie, a courtroom drama starring Matthew McConaughey. He’s a criminal lawyer representing someone accused of rape, and the trial is entering closing arguments. [Read More]

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Estate Planning for Your Small Business

When it’s time to start the process of doing your estate planning (that time is right now, by the way), entrepreneurs need to remember to take their small businesses into consideration. Whether you own the entire business outright and work for yourself or you simply own a portion of the entity, you will need to leave instructions for your family to follow. [Read More]

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