Simone Ortega

The SECURE Act went into effect on January 1, 2020. The SECURE Act stands for Setting Every Community Up for Retirement. This Act includes some significant changes to retirement plans—some of these are the biggest changes that the U.S. has seen in decades. Since it...

Many Americans are part of a blended family. A blended family is a family unit in which one or both parents have a child or children from a previous relationship—and have combined these families into one new family. With blended families, there are some additional...

If you are just getting started with the estate and legacy planning process, your number one focus may be how to maximize what you leave to your family and your favorite charities. You may also have some concerns about how taxes will be paid on your estate.  However,...

A legacy plan is similar to an estate plan. Legacy planning is simply the act of preparing how to distribute your assets and property to your loved ones upon your death. Whether you have a small or a large estate, it is important to plan ahead regarding how you want...

When you get together with your family for the holidays, you may notice that some things have changed over the years. You may have gotten a new grandchild over the year or welcomed a new daughter-in-law into the family. These changes are a good reminder that you...

Revocable trusts can be a useful tool in estate planning. Trusts can be beneficial for many people, not just for those with estates on the larger side. Revocable trusts can simplify the distribution of estate assets and can also help to protect your privacy. What is a...

It is always a good idea to get started with creating your estate plans sooner rather than later. As you begin to consider what forms of estate planning are best for you, you might think about creating a trust. A trust is a legal document that allows a third party,...

Wills are the most basic form of estate planning. However, if you are getting ready to prepare a will, you should know that there are some properties that do not pass on via wills. This means that there is no benefit to including them in your will since the will does...

One of the first steps when it comes to estate planning is to create a will. While many people are focused on who to name as beneficiaries and what each beneficiary should receive from the estate, another important consideration is who to name as the executor of the...