The Gift That Keeps on Giving: Starting Estate Planning Conversations Over the Holidays
The holidays bring families together like no other time of year. Between passing the mashed potatoes and sharing stories, these gatherings create natural opportunities for some of life’s most important conversations—including discussions about the future that many families tend to avoid.
Passing on Gold and Silver: How to Include Physical Assets in Your Portland, Oregon Estate Plan
Traditional physical assets like gold and silver remain a significant part of many people's estate values. Whether you've collected coins over decades, invested in gold bars as an inflation hedge, or inherited precious metals from family, these tangible assets require special consideration in your estate plan. Unlike stocks or bank accounts, physical gold and silver present unique challenges when it comes to transfer, valuation, and even basic discovery by your heirs.
Documenting Your Wishes: How a Portland, Oregon Guardianship Lawyer Can Help You Plan for Your Children's Future
When creating a guardianship plan for minor children, most parents focus on choosing who would raise their kids if something happened to them. However, an equally important consideration that many overlook is defining the role you want extended family members to play in your children's upbringing. Your Portland, Oregon guardianship lawyer can help you document these important details to prevent confusion and conflict during an already difficult time.
Q+A: We have a Power of Attorney, but the bank said they won’t take it. How is that possible?
Banks and financial institutions have become increasingly cautious about accepting older power of attorney documents for several reasons. First, they worry about potential fraud and want assurance that the document reflects your current intentions.
Certified vs. Photocopy: What Every Portland, Oregon Estate Administration Client Needs to Know
When you're handling estate administration after losing a loved one, you'll quickly discover that not all copies of legal documents are created equal. Banks, courts, and government agencies will frequently ask for "certified copies" of death certificates, wills, and court orders. Understanding the difference between certified copies and regular photocopies can save you time, frustration, and unnecessary trips back to offices when important transactions get delayed.
Don’t Let These Estate Planning Horror Stories Become Your Reality
While ghosts and goblins are make-believe, the estate planning horror stories we see in practice are all too real. Here are the most frightening scenarios that proper planning can help you avoid.
Q+A: Can I leave an inheritance to someone who is not family, but has taken care of me during my illness these last few years?
Absolutely, in Oregon, you have the legal right to leave your assets to anyone you choose, including caregivers who have shown you kindness and support during difficult times. As long as you have a legally valid estate plan, you can include non-family members as beneficiaries without restriction.
Estate Planning for Families With Legally Adopted Children: Guidance from Your Portland, Oregon Will Lawyer
Adoption rewrites the meaning of family in a way that essentially puts an adopted child on equal legal footing with biological children, yet many parents are surprised to learn that their legal documents do not automatically keep pace with that change. Below is a plain‑language look at how adoption affects wills, trusts, beneficiary forms, and future guardianship decisions. The goal is simple: make sure every child you call your own is protected exactly as you intend.
Does Inheritance Destroy Ambition, Purpose, and Compassion? Plan Right With a Portland, Oregon Trust Lawyer
Wealth is a blessing that is earned by a few, partially earned by many more, and entirely unearned by some, yet it always involves some form of luck—creating something or investing in something at the exact right time, being born into a particular family, living in a certain city or country. Many parents lie awake at night wondering whether a large inheritance might dull their children’s drive, sense of purpose in life, or compassion for others who are struggling financially. The worry is easy to understand. The same resources that opened doors to good schools and travel could remove the urgency that pushed you to build that wealth in the first place.
National Estate Planning Awareness Week: A Time for Action
October 20-26, 2025, marks National Estate Planning Awareness Week, an annual initiative designed to encourage Americans to take the important step of creating or updating their estate plans. This week serves as a nationwide reminder that estate planning isn't just for the wealthy or elderly; it's essential protection for anyone who wants to ensure their wishes are honored and their loved ones are cared for. Whether you're a young parent naming guardians for minor children, a business owner planning succession, or someone simply wanting to avoid probate complications, this week highlights the importance of having proper legal documentation in place.
Choosing a Guardian When Your Child Has Behavioral Challenges: Insights from a Portland, Oregon Guardianship Lawyer
Most parents never wake up thinking, “Today I will pick the person who raises my kids if I cannot.” Yet that is exactly what happens by default when no guardian is named: a probate judge, guided only by paperwork, decides who steps into your shoes. For any child this is unsettling. For a child living with ADHD, autism, anxiety, or other behavioral challenges, the risks are even higher.
Buying an Investment Property? Here Is How It Shapes Your Portland, Oregon Estate Plan
You found the perfect duplex or short‑term rental, ran the numbers, secured financing, and now you are ready to close. One question remains: does this new property change your estate plan? The short answer is yes. Real estate is a large, illiquid asset that brings tax, liability, and probate considerations that your current will or trust may not address.