Geyer Legal Group, PC 2026-09-30T11:00:03Z https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/feed/atom/ WordPress /wp-content/uploads/sites/1100815/2026/04/cropped-Site-Icon-32x32.png by Ronnie https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56165 2026-09-22T14:25:47Z 2026-09-30T11:00:03Z

My financial planner friends called my attention to a curious headline in Financial Advisor Magazine: "How Student Loans Became Part of Estate Planning".  The premise underlying the title:  "Under the loan provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4^th, 2025, the federal government now imposes hard ceilings on education borrowing for new loans. For affluent families, this is less a financing problem than a planning one. The money that used to come from a federal loan now has to come from somewhere else, and for families with taxable estates, the decision now involves the family's estate plan."… The authors go on to explain the specific law changes that can affect estate planning for parents and grandparent of college students: 

• Grad Plus is gone. This program, which allowed graduate and professional students to borrow up to the full call of attendance, has been eliminated for new borrowers.
• Graduate student borrowing is capped at $20,000 a year, $100,000 in total for most masters' and doctoral programs.
• Parent Plus loans are capped(at $20,000 per year, $65,000 per student over a lifetime (in place of a cost-of-attendance ceiling).
• All federal student borrowing is capped at an aggregate lifetime amount of $257,500 (This excludes borrowed monies under Parent PLUS).
• The new Repayment Assistance Plan requires a minimum payment based on Adjusted Gross Income.

In reaction to all these changes in federal lending, the authors explain, the private loan market is moving to fill the gap.  The problem - private loans require credit-worthy co-signers, most often a parent or grandparent. "Advisors warn that a grandparent co-signing in their 70s takes on a 15-year obligation than can outlast their working income." As Indiana estate planning attorneys at Geyer Legal, we develop estate plans tailored to our clients’ current situations and needs. When material changes in circumstances impact our client’s estate plan, we caution, they should re-evaluate the plan to ensure maximum protection. To the extent these drastic changes in education loan availability are likely to impact a client’s children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, it may be time to discuss options for being of assistance without jeopardizing our client’s own financial and estate plans. Often grandparents who have ample resources want to help with younger relatives' costs, providing opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach for them. Yet with grandparents not always feeling equally close to all their grandchildren, nieces and nephews, we encourage careful thought --and open conversations. - by Rebecca W. Geyer]]> On Behalf of Nicole Eckert https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56161 2026-09-22T12:56:07Z 2026-09-23T11:00:45Z

  An adult child being suddenly thrust into caring for an aging parent is a stressful enough situation, but it often pales in comparison with what can come next, an article in Financial Advisor Magazine points out. That's because after the parent dies, what started out as rumblings sometimes escalates to lawsuits against the child who did all the work during the final years. "As mortality rates for baby boomers rise and their estates transition to their beneficiaries, the courts will be flooded with contested inheritance disputes, the American Bar Association predicts. “Being a middle-aged adult or a young adult caregiver is stressful because of the multiplicity of roles that these people are supposed to play, not only being a caregiver, but also taking care of their own family,” Duke University School of Nursing Associate Professor Cristina Hendrix writes. "Caring for caregivers is an important part of population health because without proper support and training, caregivers can become vulnerable themselves, battling stress and overextending themselves," she adds. CBS Evening News pointed out driving factors in the problem:

• The large Baby Boomer generation is reaching advanced ages and living longer with chronic
• More seniors prefer to stay in their homes rather than move to formal care facilities.
• Caregivers frequently handle medical tasks, such as managing equipment and giving injections, often without professional training.
• Meanwhile, about 29% of caregivers support both their aging parents and their own children.

Psychology Today points out that "family care giving is increasingly recognized as a normal (if stressful) phase of the parent/child lifecycle." Healthcare is obviously an important element in estate planning, and, at Geyer Legal, we stress the importance of planning for healthcare needs. Adult children who take on the responsibility of caring for their parents need to protect themselves legally.  Legal fees, delays, and administrative costs sometimes consume assets meant for heirs or charities, meaning that everyone loses when there are family conflicts. Often, conflict is caused by an unequal division of caregiving duties, Attorney Amy J. Eddy writes. A parent will typically name one child as agent to make health care and financial decisions in the event of incapacity, choosing the person they believe to be the most responsible, the most available or the one who lives closest. Regardless of the reason, choosing one sibling over another sometimes leads to the caregiving child feeling overburdened with shouldering all of the duties while the other siblings feel resentful, left out and sometimes suspicious of that child’s actions. As Indiana elder law attorneys, we help Indiana families plan for life’s unexpected twists and turns, and one primary goal is to ease clients' way, helping avoid conflict and misunderstanding. We not only help clients draft essential documents, but also advise adult children caregivers on benefits available to the parent, such as Medicare, Medicaid, or Veteran’s Administration benefits. At Geyer Legal, we know  adult child caregivers need care! by Nicole Eckert, Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]> On Behalf of Ronnie https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56158 2026-09-22T12:43:23Z 2026-09-16T11:00:23Z

Last week in our Geyer Legal blog, Cara Chittenden talked about the advantages of having family conferences which not only allow younger family members meet the members of their parents' advisory team, but also allow the parents and grandparents to openly share with loved ones the values and assumptions that have gone into their estate planning choices.   Multigenerational retention of financial planning clients The same concept of multi-generational talks is discussed from a different angle in the Journal of Financial Planning: November 2025. The authors refer to "multigenerational retention", cautioning wealth advisors that, when older clients die, very often their children choose not to work with their parents' planners. "Baby boomers," the authors point out, "with the largest net worth of any generation, hold 51.6 percent of all U.S. wealth, compared to the millennial generation, which possesses only 10 percent." As the parents transfer wealth to the younger generation, wealth advisors are caused to develop relationships with both clients and their children. "Oftentimes," the authors admit, "it is uncomfortable to discuss money, especially within a family.Therefore, it is important for advisers to be aware of existing and potential family tensions." In fact, "practitioners who fail to adapt risk not only losing current clients, but forfeiting the opportunity to serve the next generation." A three-stage approach At Geyer Law, we found the approach recommended by Brian Bollenacher from Waterstreet Financial especially interesting. Rather than one family conference, he suggests three distinct phases:

1. Conduct individual family member interviews to understand the private concerns and expectations of each family member.
2. Facilitate family meetings with structured agendas to discuss inheritance timelines and next-generation financial education.
3. Maintaining ongoing "group" multi-generational relationship management.

Of course planners must maintain confidentiality, not sharing information with family members who are not yet their clients. Dispute prevention Writing in Kiplinger, CFP® Martin Baker says, "communicating about your assets and plans for passing them on increases clarity while preventing surprises and family disputes." Expressing your views about the wealth you've accumulated and your plans for passing it on could prevent surprises leading to family disunity," he adds. It isn't necessary to disclose your net worth to your children, Baker assures parents, but it can be beneficial to discuss the behaviors that enabled you to build your wealth. Our estate planning attorneys at Geyer Law agree. Starting conversations with adult children early definitely smooths the transition of wealth, and we try, whenever possible, to bring together family members of different generations to share values and wealth transfer goals. While having all the adult children involved in the discussion may not eliminate the possibility of sibling resentment, it diminishes the likelihood of legal disputes after parents have died. - by Ronnie of the Geyer Legal Group blog team]]> On Behalf of Cara Chittenden https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56153 2026-09-08T19:17:41Z 2026-09-09T11:00:44Z

 A charitable giving strategy might be a new concept for many individuals, certified financial planner Jalene Hahn writes in the Indianapolis Business Journal. While Vanguard Charitable found that three quarters of American adults donate money each year to a charity, religious, or nonprofit organization, she points out, few of us have an actual plan that continues through our lifetimes and then is expressed in our estate planning documents.  Hahn suggests four key components of an effective plan:

1. Setting an annual budget, allocating a specific percentage of your disposable income.
2. Using a 5 Ts framework:

•  Time  - volunteering hands-on labor and physical presence to    help an organization.
• Talent - sharing your professional skills and specialized knowledge pro bono.
• Treasure - donating money or property
• Ties - connecting an organization to your own social network, introducing potential donors
• Testimony - advocating for a cause

3. Choosing a charitable giving "vehicle"

• direct gift
• donor-advised fund
• qualified charitable distribution from an IRA

4. Gathering an advisory team

At Geyer Legal, we especially appreciate the following piece of advice Jalene Hahn offers: "Including children in this process will reinforce your values and encourage them to follow suit." As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we do not provide tax or investment advice, instead collaborating with our clients' advisors to help them define their charitable giving goals and determine the most effective strategies for passing income and assets to future generations through thoughtful planning. In fact, we have come to realize, it's not only charitable giving strategies that are best shared with the younger generation, but all estate planning reasoning and intention. Sure, initiating inter-generational conversations can be awkward, even overwhelming, but through insights our attorneys have gained from decades of helping Indiana families, we try to bring “big” family conversations down to “comfortable size”. From a practical standpoint, family conferences help acquaint the younger generation with the members of their parents’ advisory team. Not only will this make settling parents’ affairs much simpler later on, but, even more important, allows parents to openly share with loved ones the values and assumptions – along with the issues – that have gone into their estate planning choices. Consider expanding the concept of a charitable giving strategy, creating an overall estate planning "continuum". - by Cara Chittenden, Attorney with Geyer Legal      ]]> On Behalf of rebeccageyer https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56149 2026-09-08T18:59:36Z 2026-09-02T11:00:56Z

Nowadays, it's easy to customize everything from apparel to coffee mugs and water bottles. But, as we well know at Geyer Legal, one area that simply cannot be customized is estate planning.  Every individual, every parent and grandparent with whom we meet, represents a unique set of circumstances and a unique set of wishes, and many have "nontraditional" needs. There are unmarried partners, same sex spouses, children with special needs and those in foster care.  While our mantra is "life is a journey that starts and ends with family," one lesson we've learned over the past quarter century is that family situations are fluid. As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we know life's twists and turns often make it necessary to change one's mind  and one's documents. A foster child may have come into one of your adult children's lives through the court system or through an agency. However it begins, as the National Council for Adoption points out, foster children typically retain their legal inheritance rights from their biological parents as the foster care arrangement does not sever those legal ties. In fact, reunification with natural parents is the primary goal when any child is placed in foster care. Under Indiana law, grandparents must explicitly name a foster grandchild in their will or trust because foster children have no automatic legal right to inherit under state intestate succession rules unless that foster child is legally adopted by his or her foster parents. For grandparents, using broad phrasing like "to all my grandchildren" in a will may fail to legally cover a foster grandchild unless adoption has finalized. For grandparents who feel the foster care situation is likely to lead to adoption and who would like to include a foster grandchild in their estate plan, they should:

• Modify the documents (will and/or trust) to explicitly identify the foster child by full legal name and date of birth.
• Clearly state the intention to provide for the individual as if they were a grandchild.
• If adding a foster grandchild as beneficiary of life insurance or of a retirement account, specifically and individually identify them.

When a young person in foster care turns 18, they become an adult and are "emancipated" or "aged out" of the system (the Indiana Department of Child Services Older Youth Initiatives program helps youth by identifying community resources and services to help them transition.) From an estate planning viewpoint, this is a signal for foster grandparents to re-evaluate their own choices as related to a now adult foster grandchild.  Welcoming a foster grandchild, then watching the story unfold, requires customized estate planning.   - by Rebecca W. Geyer        ]]> by Ronnie https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56144 2026-08-14T20:49:39Z 2026-08-26T11:00:29Z

"High-net worth families make attractive targets for criminals,"  Dyezz Risk (Texas-based advisors to family offices) observes. It's not just Texas, and it's not just high-net worth individuals - charitable scams are rising worldwide (as the Australian government points out on its website!) At Geyer Law, given the recent flash flooding across Indiana (with our governor declaring a statewide disaster emergency earlier this month), we thought it important to remind readers to be especially wary of the inevitable charity scams that seem to follow storms. ”Charity fraud schemes seek donations for organizations that do little or no work—instead, the money goes to the fake charity’s creator," the FBI cautions.  Upon receiving a solicitation, to ensure a charity is legitimate, there are official verification tools you can use:

• IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
• Charity Navigator
• BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we find that charitable giving is an important element in many of our clients’ overall estate plans. We also know that, following a natural disaster, particularly one so close to home, criminals will rush to set up fake charities with look-alike names and crowdfunding campaigns, and that it will be easy for many to fall prey to false requests for help. "Following the aftermath of damaging storms across Indiana, Attorney General Todd Rokita warns of charity scams targeting good-hearted Hoosiers," At Geyer Law, we echo that thought - be generous, but don't be caught up in a charity scam! - by Ronnie of the Geyer Legal blog team]]> On Behalf of Katrin Hodson https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56142 2026-08-14T20:51:54Z 2026-08-19T11:00:45Z

  Getting more specific in your estate plan prevents family disputes and ensures your exact wishes are met, an article from the Indiana University's Office of the Vice President & General Counsel points out. "Getting more specific" means replacing broad categories with:

• itemized asset lists
• exact beneficiary names
• clear personal property memoranda for sentimental items
• specific conditions within trusts.

Having an itemized list of assets is even more important for business owners.  At Geyer Legal, we've found that one decision too rarely considered is creating and updating the right type of property inventory. In administering estates for our Geyer Law clients, inventorying personal property often turns out to be the most time-consuming aspect of the work. When it comes to naming beneficiaries, it's all too easy to make expensive mistakes, we've learned at Geyer Law. For one thing, not all loved ones should receive assets directly, as Tracy Craig points out in a Kiplinger article (think minors, those with special needs, those with creditor issues). Assets may be lost to intended heirs in a divorce.  For all these reasons, trusts may turn out to be better choices than direct beneficiary designations. The transfer of physical belongings, especially those with sentimental value, can actually cause more stress than gratitude.  Heirs will want to honor a legacy, but may not have room in their lives - or their homes and offices - for those "precious", but in reality unwanted, items.  For that very reason, at our law firm, we try, wherever possible, to bring together family members of different generations to share information about specific assets – and specific values. The wisdom of bringing together family members of different generations to share wealth transfer strategies applies to the creation of specific conditions within trusts, we know at Geyer Legal. When stipulations are placed on bequests (either to family members or business partners), that can harm relationships and even spark litigation. In estate planning, it's definitely worth getting down to the details. - by Katrin Hodson,  Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]> On Behalf of Cara Chittenden https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56140 2026-08-14T20:35:32Z 2026-08-12T11:00:11Z

"For decades, you've saved in tax-deferred retirement accounts, watching your balance compound untaxed.  Then you turn 73, and the IRS comes calling, Jeff Judge, CFP® advises in a Kiplinger article about RMD "tax traps" to avoid. While at Geyer Legal, our attorneys offer no direct tax advice, instead working in cooperation with our clients’ tax advisors to coordinate estate planning strategy with tax planning, one thing that is true is that tax law and estate planning overlap, and that is definitely true when it comes to IRA accounts and Mandatory Minimum Distributions. What many retirees don't realize until it's too late, Judge points out, is that Required Minimum Distributions don't just create a tax bill; they trigger "a cascade of consequences, including:

• raising Medicare premiums (a large RMD in one year can raise your Medicare premium two years later, because Medicare Parts B and D premiums are income-based)!
• increasing the taxes you pay on Social Security benefits (up to 85% of your Social Security benefits can become taxable depending on your combined income, which includes adjusted gross income, tax-exempt interest, and half your benefits).
• while RMDs don't count as "net investment income", if they push you over the NIT threshold ($200 for single taxpayers, $250,000 for joint taxpayers), you could face an extra 3.8% tax.

While, if you take the standard deduction, your charitable contributions provide zero tax benefit, Judge points out, a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) can lower taxable income.  In fact, this is a topic we often discuss with our Indiana estate planning clients:

• Rather than taking the distribution from a traditional IRA, the IRA participant may direct the IRA custodian to send the money directly to an eligible charitable organization.
• If this election is made, the funds go directly to charity and never become part of the participant’s gross income.

While it is still true that we offer no direct tax advice or calculations, taxes, we've learned, continue to represent a central topic in estate planning discussions. In fact, proper planning protects wealth so that more of it can go to the people and the causes our Geyer Legal clients care most about. - by Cara Chittenden, Attorney at Geyer Legal Group           While it is still true that we offer no direct tax advice or calculations, taxes, we've learned, continue to represent a central topic in estate planning discussions.   In fact, proper planning protects wealth so that more of it can go to the people and the causes our Geyer Legal clients care most about.   - by Cara Chittenden, Attorney at Geyer Legal Group]]> On Behalf of Nicole Eckert https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56136 2026-07-29T19:04:31Z 2026-08-05T11:00:49Z

"When a small business owner dies with an active amortized loan, the debt does not vanish. The balance remains an obligation of the business entity and a valid claim against the owner's personal guarantee and estate", the Small Business Administration website explains. Even when a business has multiple owners, if just one of the guarantors dies, the bank could call the loan, as Evansville attorney Terry Farmer cautions. At Geyer Law, we know it's literally never too soon to give thought to business success planning, anticipating, well in advance, the answer to the question of how the business will respond to the death or disability of one of the owners.  As Attorney Cara Chittenden explained in an earlier post, " With planning, everyone has advance notice of what the plan is and what their role is likely to be.” Thing is, even for the smallest of businesses, there are aspects of business law - and estate planning -- that need to be considered from the get-go, including thinking ahead to that someday in the future. That's because, as we explain to Geyer Law clients, your business is not only going to be about you; it's going to be about your employees, your customers, your family members.  From Day 1, the possibility of any business partner or key employee leaving (to go elsewhere, or because of illness or death), must be considered.  Wisconsin attorneys Hollman DeJong & Laing sum the matter up nicely when they recommend that business owners create a buy-sell agreement as soon as the business is formed. 'It’s a lot easier to get an agreement in place when everyone’s in agreement.'" At Geyer Legal, in addition to helping clients select the right business entity for their needs (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, or partnership), we help create buy-sell agreements and appropriate succession planning.  We realize that business succession planning is the first order of business!. - by Nicole Eckert , Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]> by Katrin Hodson https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=56133 2026-07-22T13:13:39Z 2026-07-29T11:00:24Z

"Before assets reach children or charities, they most often move to a surviving spouse," Erica Ellis, J.D. reminds financial advisors."Women will control a growing share of wealth in the coming decades, driven largely by longevity, Ellis reminds readers of Financial Advisor magazine, and in most marriages a wife will outlive her husband. The moment of transfer (when the widow has become the sole decision maker over assets), is not when she should be learning about an investment account for the first time. Ellis is offering practical "coaching" to planners, helping them:

1. avoid loss of assets under their management
2. avoid being blamed by a surviving wife for being trapped in a difficult financial situation after her husband's death,

The article actually makes an important point about the importance of including both spouses in the estate planning process itself. As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we must help couples "envision" possible outcomes of various choices they make. Not always is the husband the first to die, but depending on choices the couple makes now (and together), the survivor can be limited in the ability to access equity, sell property, or help children. Engaging with everyone impacted by an estate plan, adult children included, builds transparency and trust, Ellis urges financial planners. Not only do these "talks" make wealth transfers smoother, the advisor’s relationship with their clients become more durable. One of the guiding principles at Geyer Legal is communication. We encourage family conferences to help acquaint the younger generation with their parents’ estate plans and allow them to meet members of their parents’ advisory team. Not only will this make settling parents’ affairs much simpler later on, but, even more important, it allows parents to openly share with their loved ones the values and assumptions – along with the issues – that have gone into their estate planning choices. - by Katrin Hodson, Attorney with Geyer Legal]]>