Geyer Legal Group, PCGeyer Legal Group, PC2026-11-11T12:00:10Zhttps://www.rgeyerlaw.com/feed/atom/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/sites/1100815/2026/04/cropped-Site-Icon-32x32.pngby Ronnie<![CDATA[Couples — Together and Apart in Their Estate Planning]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=562112026-11-09T16:05:23Z2026-11-11T12:00:10Z
"Estate planning discussions do not need to be dramatic or formal," TrustCounsel of Florida states. The discussions can begin with simple questions:
If something happened to one of us, would the other have clear authority to act?
Do we agree on how assets should be distributed?
Have we reviewed our documents recently?
Sounds simple, but the reality is "about 45 percent of couples report that one partner takes the lead when making retirement investing and planning decisions. That can be problematic, considering (as AARP points out) that more than half of couples disagree about how much they need to save to retire and 47 percent say they have different risk tolerances when it comes to investments." One spouse wants to retire at 62; the other wants to work to 67, or consult indefinitely because they enjoy the work. Is one person fated to spend five years alone in an empty house at 10 AM? Anthony Watson asks in Thriveretire.com. And, how should couples handle discretionary spending when only one partner earns an income?
A similar issue arises when it comes to estate planning as members of couples may have different goals, different understandings, and different intents we've learned at Geyer Legal. As longtime Indiana estate planning attorneys, we’ve learned the value of facilitating family conferences, which we explain as an opportunity for the younger generation to become aware of the values and assumptions that have gone into their estate planning choices, but the same holds true when planning for a couple.
We've learned the values and assumptions that go into estate planning choices are subject to change over time,and not always are those changes in thinking the same in both spouses. As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we see the wisdom of "moderating" periodic estate planning "refresher" discussions with couples as their employment status, health situations, and relationships with their children continue to develop.
- by Katrin Hodson, Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]>On Behalf of Nicole Eckert<![CDATA[Charitable Planning Can Be a Matter of Style]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=562082026-11-09T15:51:52Z2026-11-04T12:00:48Z
While financial advisors often recommend a charitable vehicle for their philanthropic clients as part of their overall wealth management strategy, an article in foundationsource.com notes that donors have different "giving styles". As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we realize that many aspects of the estate planning process are not at all about death and dying, but about making a social and personal impact - by "giving back".
There are many considerations which go into a client’s decision about charitable giving, including:
How open?
How "known" does the donor wish to be? Do they want to personally deliver their gift to the charity or just "mail it in"? Do they want to participate in fundraising for the charity, or, at the other extreme, remain anonymous?
How flexible?
How flexible does the donor want to be in their charitable planning? With a Donor Advised Fund, donors can contribute assets and decide later which charities to benefit.
Do donors intend to involve family members? With both donor-advised funds and private foundations, this is possible.
How cost-conscious?
Are administrative and investment fees a big factor in the donor's charitable giving decisions? Donor-advised funds have low start-up costs, foundationsource.com points out, while private foundations have higher costs. While, as Indiana estate planning attorneys, we offer no tax advice, instead working together with our clients’ tax and financial planning advisors, we find that charitable giving is an important element in many of our clients’ overall estate plans; many are interested in taking significant deductions in their Federal Income tax bill.
How short or long-term focused?
To what extent is the donor focused on contributing towards current-day needs (post-disaster rescue efforts, poverty relief, veterans' needs,etc.), as opposed to effecting long term assistance?
In both charitable and estate planning - it's often a matter of style.
- by Nicole Eckert. Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]>On Behalf of Ronnie<![CDATA[In Estate Planning, It’s Best to Avoid Any Element of Surprise]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=562052026-11-09T15:44:13Z2026-10-28T11:00:52Z
In the Kiplinger Morning Consult survey, 73% of parents said they intend to leave the same amount to each of their kids, but just 50% of adult children preferred that approach. In fact, one-third of adult children expect an inheritance to create conflict with their siblings. Those siblings believe Mom and Dad should base inheritance decisions on:
each child's financial situation and need
how much financial help parents have given each child in the past
how much each child assisted the parents during the parents' lifetimes
"There's no wrong or right decision on splitting assets…parents are entitled to pass down their wealth however they see fit," Diane Harris writes in Kiplinger Finance. What's imperative is that you inform your children of your decision and explain your reasoning."
At Geyer Legal, we understand that estate planning is more a matter of thinking through decisions than of preparing documents. When we talk to clients about selecting “Power of Attorney” agents to take care of their affairs when they are not able to do so themselves, we explain that it’s not about birth order, but about what suits the situation.
When it comes to planning unequal inheritances, there are two aspects of the matter that, as Indiana estate planning lawyers, we must consider:
The legal aspect - Whenever there is a very uneven distribution of assets among heirs, state law carries a presumption of the exercise of undue influence,as a 2014 article in the Indiana Lawyer pointed out. Whenever it appears that a dispute among rightful heirs might result in litigation, we attorneys have a duty to ensure that there had not been any undue influence over the estate owner.
The "human" aspect - Using the insights our attorneys have gained from decades of helping Indiana families deal with those later-in-life decisions, we provide personalized counsel, helping arrange (and where requested, moderate) family conferences at which parents openly share the values and assumptions – along with the issues – that have gone into their estate planning choices.
- by Ronnie of the Geyer Legal blog team
]]>On Behalf of Ronnie<![CDATA[Do I really need an estate plan? Four times the answer is yes]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=562002026-10-21T15:08:56Z2026-10-21T15:08:56Z people assume estate planning is only for the wealthy or elderly. The truth is that these plans are especially important when making common life transitions, regardless of your age or net worth. The following four scenarios are helpful examples of when having an estate plan is particularly beneficial.
#1: Starting out in your chosen profession
Young professionals often overlook estate planning, but this stage of life presents unique opportunities. As you begin accumulating assets like retirement accounts, property or business interests, an estate plan helps to ensure these assets transfer according to your wishes. It also provides an opportunity to make a broader financial plan to help you make the most of your new income. Additionally, establishing healthcare directives and power of attorney documents protects you if you become incapacitated.
#2: Starting a family
Few life events make estate planning more urgent than becoming a parent. During this chapter of life, your estate plan should address the following:
Naming guardians for minor children who will raise them if you cannot
Designating trustees to handle financial matters responsibly
Ensuring life insurance beneficiaries are properly updated
These decisions provide peace of mind that your children will be cared for according to your values and have financial support.
#3: Having a special needs child
Parents of children with disabilities face additional planning complexities. A properly structured special needs trust allows you to provide for your child without jeopardizing eligibility for government benefits. This specialized planning helps to better ensure your child receives care and support throughout their lifetime while preserving access to assistance programs.
#4: Preparing for retirement
As retirement approaches, estate planning helps you transition wealth efficiently while minimizing tax burdens. This phase involves reviewing beneficiary designations, considering charitable giving strategies and checking to make sure your plan reflects your current wishes and family dynamics.
Everyone benefits from estate planning
While these four scenarios clearly warrant estate planning, the reality is that everyone can benefit from putting these important tools in place regardless of life stage. Even a healthy 25-year-old can find themselves needing these legal tools as a tragic accident can happen at any time. Without advance healthcare directives, family members face agonizing decisions about medical treatment without knowing the patient's wishes. Without financial power of attorney, paying bills and managing affairs becomes legally complicated.An estate plan is not about age or wealth. It is about control, protection and clarity. Whether you are just starting your career or approaching retirement, having an estate plan helps to better ensure your wishes are honored and your loved ones are spared unnecessary hardship during already difficult times.]]>On Behalf of rebeccageyer<![CDATA[Special Estate Planning for Those With Special Needs]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=561972026-10-17T00:09:49Z2026-10-21T11:00:11Z
Even as the current issue of Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine was explaining the estate planning benefits of a special needs trust, the Indianapolis Business Journalwas reporting problems plaguing the system for granting disability Medicaid waivers on which many Indiana special needs children had come to depend.
Medicaid waivers
The waivers allow disabled Hoosiers to stay in their homes, rather than an institutional setting and still qualify for financial assistance through the Medicaid system. Questions had arisen about the way case managers were implementing the assessment tool used to decide whether a special needs child qualified for a waiver (and therefore qualifies to continue to receive benefits) "After a break," the IBJ reports, "the system is already back in place".
The Arc of Indiana
The IBJ article makes mention of the Arc of Indiana, an organization which advocates for disability rights.
Often, parents of disabled children turn to Geyer Law for help planning their estates, wanting to ensure that, even after they themselves are gone, their children will be provided for. A Trust I or 3rd party funded account at The Arc helps those parents accomplish that goal. As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we help create coordinate with the ARC, keeping their special needs children in mind. We also assist clients in drafting their own special needs trusts for their loved one if they choose not to use the ARC.
The Arc Master Trust, founded in 1988, is Indiana’s leading special needs trust, allowing individuals with physical, emotional, intellectual or developmental disabilities to:
save and invest their assets
enjoy the benefits of professional money management at an affordable price
spend on a broad variety of qualified personal expenses, without being disqualified from receiving their government benefits
Special Needs Trusts
"If you take care of a child or another loved one who has a disability, you'll need a plan to provide for them after you pass away," Ella Vincent explains in the Kiplinger article. You can put a variety of assets in the trust, including cash, real estate property, and stocks and bonds, and that trust can be named as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. These trusts help ensure your child or another loved one can benefit from an inheritance without jeopardizing their eligibility for means-based government resources.
- by Rebecca W. Geyer]]>On Behalf of Katrin Hodson<![CDATA[Is the “Great Wealth Transfer” Catching Cold?]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=561892026-10-16T23:57:16Z2026-10-15T11:00:38Z
"Health care costs today affect wealth transfer tomorrow," a Nationwide article cautions wealth advisors. "Though a great generational wealth transfer is coming, health care spending could diminish what loved ones receive."
As they enter their retirement years, clients start to think more about how the transfer of their wealth may provide for the future financial security of their children, grandchildren and other loved ones, the authors admit. The problem - rising out-of-pocket costs for medical treatment and the probability of needing long-term care later in life increase the likelihood that most of a client’s life savings could be wiped out during their lifetime, leaving little or nothing to transfer to their children or other beneficiaries. Meanwhile, because there is a significant gap in accumulated wealth between older and younger generations (in the U.S., baby boomers control eight times the wealth of millennials, the authors note), older generations are concerned more than ever about leaving funds to younger generations.
The danger, Nationwide warns: "The potential for retirees in older generations to spend down their wealth, specifically on health care and long-term care costs, poses a substantial risk for younger generations who may be counting on inheritances to help them reach financial security."
At Geyer Legal, where, since 1999, our estate and elder law attorneys have been helping Indiana families plan for life’s unexpected twists and turns, we know. The narrowing choices facing long term care insurance policyholders often affect our clients’ decisions about gifting to family members as well as decisions on charitable giving. Our goal, as always, is to help clients establish a plan for lifelong care that does not deplete all of their hard-earned assets.
With deep experience and an understanding of the complex system of Medicaid, we guide clients through the process where appropriate, endeavoring to preserve as many assets as possible for younger generation heirs.
"Estate planning assumes you die. Health planning assumes you live," John Samuels wryly observes in Forbes.
At Geyer Legal, we agree. As Indiana elder law attorneys, one of our primary goals is helping clients avoid conflict and misunderstanding around caregiving issues, often hosting family conferences to share important information and create advance plans for dealing with potential health issues.
- by Katrin Hodson, Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]>On Behalf of Cara Chittenden<![CDATA[Take Some Estate Planning Documents –No Need to Call Me In the Morning]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=561862026-10-06T14:23:57Z2026-10-07T11:00:59Z
"Less stress leads to better sleep, improved health, and a greater sense of security. And, at its core, estate planning is about reducing stress", North Carolina estate planning and elder law attorney Greg McIntyre observes. "While most people associate estate planning with finances and inheritance, it also plays a vital role in mental health for the person designing and the loved ones they leave behind," theNational Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) confirms.
"Some steps can help ensure that people make consistently strong choices, including gathering as much information as possible, considering all the possible alternatives — as well as their attendant benefits and costs, and taking the time to sleep on weightier decisions," Psychology Today explains..
With that truth in mind, our estate planning attorneys at Geyer Legal focus on discussions before documents, helping each client weigh decisions on their very own "importance scale":
For married couples: How important is it to protect their assets in case one dies and the other remarries?
For parents: How important is it to protect their legacy from their children’s creditors?
For property owners: How important is it for the property to remain in the family?
For those who want to give back to the community: How important is it to define exactly how the money must be used?
For business owners: how important is it to equalize the inheritance of children who work in the business and those who do not?
For pet owners: How important is it to provide for pets who survive them?
For those who have family members with special needs: What are the most important steps to secure continued support of those members?
For those who want to be remembered in a certain way: What instructions for a funeral service or celebration of life are important to leave, and how?
"Behind every choice is a blend of psychological processes that involve memory, perception, emotion, and reasoning",a Touro University Worldwide paper explains. When it comes to estate planning , most parents and grandparents want to treat heirs fairly in their estate pan, but fair does not necessarily mean equal. "There may be special circumstances to consider, estate planning.com points out.
As we state on the opening page of the Geyer Legal website, "We understand the challenges, fears, and family dynamics that often come into play with legal issues, and our goal is helping you develop a plan that provides the peace of mind you need. Over our 25 years in practice, we've seen over and over again the way creating and setting in place an estate plan plays a positive role in the our clients' mental health.
- by Cara Chittenden, Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]>by Ronnie<![CDATA[Has College Planning Become an Estate Planning Problem]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=561652026-09-22T14:25:47Z2026-09-30T11:00:03ZMy 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 4th, 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<![CDATA[Estate Planning Care for Adult Child Caregivers]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=561612026-09-22T12:56:07Z2026-09-23T11:00:45Z
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<![CDATA[Family Money Talks – a Variety of Approaches]]>https://www.rgeyerlaw.com/?p=561582026-09-22T12:43:23Z2026-09-16T11:00:23ZLast 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:
Conduct individual family member interviews to understand the private concerns and expectations of each family member.
Facilitate family meetings with structured agendas to discuss inheritance timelines and next-generation financial education.
Of course planners must maintain confidentiality, not sharing information with family members who are not yet their clients.
Dispute preventionWriting 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]]>
While financial advisors often recommend a charitable vehicle for their philanthropic clients as part of their overall wealth management strategy, an article in foundationsource.com notes that donors have different "giving styles". As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we realize that many aspects of the estate planning process are not at all about death and dying, but about making a social and personal impact - by "giving back".
There are many considerations which go into a client’s decision about charitable giving, including:
How open?
How "known" does the donor wish to be? Do they want to personally deliver their gift to the charity or just "mail it in"? Do they want to participate in fundraising for the charity, or, at the other extreme, remain anonymous?
How flexible?
How flexible does the donor want to be in their charitable planning? With a Donor Advised Fund, donors can contribute assets and decide later which charities to benefit.
Do donors intend to involve family members? With both donor-advised funds and private foundations, this is possible.
How cost-conscious?
Are administrative and investment fees a big factor in the donor's charitable giving decisions? Donor-advised funds have low start-up costs, foundationsource.com points out, while private foundations have higher costs. While, as Indiana estate planning attorneys, we offer no tax advice, instead working together with our clients’ tax and financial planning advisors, we find that charitable giving is an important element in many of our clients’ overall estate plans; many are interested in taking significant deductions in their Federal Income tax bill.
How short or long-term focused?
To what extent is the donor focused on contributing towards current-day needs (post-disaster rescue efforts, poverty relief, veterans' needs,etc.), as opposed to effecting long term assistance?
In both charitable and estate planning - it's often a matter of style.
- by Nicole Eckert. Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]>
Even as the current issue of Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine was explaining the estate planning benefits of a special needs trust, the Indianapolis Business Journal was reporting problems plaguing the system for granting disability Medicaid waivers on which many Indiana special needs children had come to depend.
Medicaid waivers
The waivers allow disabled Hoosiers to stay in their homes, rather than an institutional setting and still qualify for financial assistance through the Medicaid system. Questions had arisen about the way case managers were implementing the assessment tool used to decide whether a special needs child qualified for a waiver (and therefore qualifies to continue to receive benefits) "After a break," the IBJ reports, "the system is already back in place".
The Arc of Indiana
The IBJ article makes mention of the Arc of Indiana, an organization which advocates for disability rights.
Often, parents of disabled children turn to Geyer Law for help planning their estates, wanting to ensure that, even after they themselves are gone, their children will be provided for. A Trust I or 3rd party funded account at The Arc helps those parents accomplish that goal. As Indiana estate planning attorneys, we help create coordinate with the ARC, keeping their special needs children in mind. We also assist clients in drafting their own special needs trusts for their loved one if they choose not to use the ARC.
The Arc Master Trust, founded in 1988, is Indiana’s leading special needs trust, allowing individuals with physical, emotional, intellectual or developmental disabilities to:
"Health care costs today affect wealth transfer tomorrow," a Nationwide article cautions wealth advisors. "Though a great generational wealth transfer is coming, health care spending could diminish what loved ones receive."
As they enter their retirement years, clients start to think more about how the transfer of their wealth may provide for the future financial security of their children, grandchildren and other loved ones, the authors admit. The problem - rising out-of-pocket costs for medical treatment and the probability of needing long-term care later in life increase the likelihood that most of a client’s life savings could be wiped out during their lifetime, leaving little or nothing to transfer to their children or
other beneficiaries. Meanwhile, because there is a significant gap in accumulated wealth between older and younger generations (in the U.S., baby boomers control eight times the wealth of millennials, the authors note), older generations are concerned more than ever about leaving funds to younger generations.
The danger, Nationwide warns: "The potential for retirees in older generations to spend down their wealth, specifically on health care and long-term care costs, poses a substantial risk for younger generations who may be counting on inheritances to help them reach financial security."
At Geyer Legal, where, since 1999, our estate and elder law attorneys have been helping Indiana families plan for life’s unexpected twists and turns, we know. The narrowing choices facing long term care insurance policyholders often affect our clients’ decisions about gifting to family members as well as decisions on charitable giving. Our goal, as always, is to help clients establish a plan for lifelong care that does not deplete all of their hard-earned assets.
With deep experience and an understanding of the complex system of Medicaid, we guide clients through the process where appropriate, endeavoring to preserve as many assets as possible for younger generation heirs.
"Estate planning assumes you die. Health planning assumes you live," John Samuels wryly observes in Forbes.
At Geyer Legal, we agree. As Indiana elder law attorneys, one of our primary goals is helping clients avoid conflict and misunderstanding around caregiving issues, often hosting family conferences to share important information and create advance plans for dealing with potential health issues.
- by Katrin Hodson, Attorney with Geyer Legal Group]]>
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 4th, 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:
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:
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: