Estate Planning

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Many dentists devote significant time and energy to building successful practices but spend little time planning for what would happen if they became disabled or unexpectedly passed away. While most practice owners understand the importance of a will or trust, fewer realize how closely their personal estate plan and professional practice plan should work together.

For dental professionals, a practice is often one of their most valuable assets. Without proper planning, an unexpected event can leave family members, business…
Continue Reading Estate Planning for Dental Practice Owners: Protecting More Than Your Family

From birth certificates to guardianship: the practical steps every Wisconsin family needs to take in year one.
September is often associated with more birthdays than any other month of the year, meaning many families are welcoming a new baby and adjusting to life as new parents. Between feedings, diaper changes, doctor appointments, and sleepless nights, it can be difficult to think about much beyond the next few hours.
Amid the excitement, however, there are several important legal and financial…
Continue Reading Baby’s Here! The Wisconsin New Parent Legal & Financial Checklist

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If you’re a Business Owner, your estate plan and business plan need to work together. If you could not act tomorrow, the same event could affect payroll, clients, partners, employees, and your family. This is where the question is not only about who inherits the business. It is who can step in, what authority they have, and whether the documents you already trust give a consistent answer.

Many owners built these plans at different times, with different advisers,

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Continue Reading Why Integrated Estate and Business Planning Works

A helpful guide for parents and young adults navigating the legal transition into adulthood in the state of Wisconsin.
Eighteen is often viewed as a milestone year filled with graduation parties, first jobs, military enlistments, trade school plans, college move-in days, and newfound independence. What many families don’t realize is that turning 18 also brings significant legal changes. Overnight, a child becomes an adult in the eyes of the law.
As an estate planning attorney, these are some of…
Continue Reading Turning 18: Legal, Financial, and Practical Considerations for Young Adults and Their Parents

When many people hear the term “estate planning,” they picture sprawling estates, family trusts worth millions of dollars, and complicated tax strategies. As a result, they assume estate planning is something they can put off or may never need at all.

The reality is much simpler: estate planning is for everyone.

Whether you are a recent college graduate, a young parent, a retiree, a business owner, or somewhere in between, estate planning is about protecting yourself, your loved ones,…
Continue Reading Estate Planning Is Not Just for the Wealthy: Why Every Adult Needs a Plan

The significant appreciation in equity markets has left many investors holding assets with substantial built-in gains. In many cases, tax basis is very low relative to current value. This creates a central tension in estate and tax planning, specifically, whether to recognize capital gains during life or preserve assets for a potential step-up in basis at death.

For many estate plans, the default instinct is to hold appreciated assets until death to secure a basis step-up. That instinct is…
Continue Reading Gifting Appreciated Securities vs. Waiting for a Step-up in Basis

Choosing a power of attorney for health care is one of the most personal decisions in an estate plan. This is the person who may speak for you if illness, injury, or incapacity prevents you from making your own medical decisions.

In Wisconsin, a power of attorney for health care allows you to name a health care agent. That agent can make health care decisions for you if you are unable to make those decisions yourself. Wisconsin’s Department of…
Continue Reading Choosing a Power of Attorney for Health Care in Wisconsin

Estate planning is not only about what happens after death. It is about giving your family direction when they may be grieving, stressed, or unsure what to do next.

A will and a trust are two common estate planning tools. They can both help you decide who receives your property, who should be involved in carrying out your wishes, and how your loved ones should be protected. They do different things, however, and many Wisconsin families use both.

At…
Continue Reading Wills vs. Trusts in Wisconsin: What is the Difference?

One of the most rewarding parts of estate planning is guiding individuals and families as they prepare for the future. We discuss protecting children, preserving family assets, planning for retirement, and creating a legacy for the next generation. Occasionally, those conversations lead to the topic of a Marital Property Agreement (MPA), sometimes called a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. When that happens, many couples become understandably uncomfortable.
A common reaction is:

“If we’re planning to spend the rest of…
Continue Reading Marital Property Agreements: Planning for the Future, Not Planning for Divorce

If your typical Wednesday involves writing a college tuition check in the morning and interviewing in-home nurses for your parents by lunch, then you are officially part of the “Sandwich Generation.” It is a role rooted in deep family loyalty, but let’s be honest: Being in the middle can feel more like a pressure cooker than a privilege. Between the emotional weight and the financial complexity, it is easy to feel like you are constantly reacting to the next

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Continue Reading The Sandwich Generation Survival Guide: Protecting Your Family and Your Sanity

Bypass the delays and costs of Wisconsin probate without losing an ounce of control over your estate. Here is how to protect your family legacy on your own terms.
You don’t have to give up control of your assets today to protect your family tomorrow. Discover how to use Wisconsin law to completely bypass the delays, privacy loss, and costs of probate court while retaining 100% ownership and management of your estate for the rest of your life.
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Continue Reading How to Avoid Wisconsin Probate without Losing Control of Your Family Legacy

When a loved one passes away, families are often left with emotional stress, financial responsibilities, and legal questions. One of the most common legal processes families may face is Legal Probate. Probate is the court-supervised process of validating a will, identifying assets, paying debts, and distributing property to the rightful heirs or beneficiaries.
While probate can feel overwhelming, understanding the basic steps, expected timeline, and common mistakes can help families move through the process with more confidence.

What Is

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Continue Reading Legal Probate Explained: Steps, Timeline, and Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many lawyers are not aware of website accessibility. Oftentimes a lawyer’s exposure to the issue of website accessibility is communications from a client receiving a letter stating that their website is not accessible or dealing with a potential lawsuit.

Unfortunately, due to the frequency of dealing with these letters and the often quick settlements, these letters have attracted a reputation as being filed by lawyers interested in nuisance settlements. However, that is frequently not the case, and a particular…
Continue Reading Why Website Accessibility Should Be on Every Lawyer’s Radar

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My father loved the sea. By extension he also loved all sea-related tchotchkes, i.e., model sailing vessels, fake shark’s teeth, lighthouses big and small, cute little fishermen in bright yellow rain slickers. You name it, he had one. How did he explain this passion? Growing up in western Wisconsin, he was far from the sea. In a former life he believed he was … a whale. Many years ago, he wandered into an antique store in Florida on the

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Continue Reading The ‘Masterpiece’ and a Daughter’s Burden, Relieved

One of the most common issues that arises in estate and succession planning has little to do with taxes, documents, or legal mechanics. It’s family dynamics. 

Parents often come into the process with the goal of being fair. But fairness is rarely as simple as dividing everything equally. When clients ask whether I think their plan is fair, I’m candid: my personal view doesn’t matter. What I can offer is perspective into how other families in similar situations typically…
Continue Reading Fairness is Personal: Estate Planning Lessons for Families with Unequal Assets