cash and checkbook

How Much Does an Estate Plan Cost in Iowa? Rates Should be Transparent!

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When estate planning you're answering many of the unknowns for the future by deciding to whom you want your stuff—your cash assets, real estate, personal property, physical body, to name just a few—to pass to and when. You also have to…
coffee-book-table-word-nerd

Calling all Word Nerds: 9 Terms to Know About Trusts

In the past I've written about specific "legal words of the day" where we take a deep dive into terms that can be confusing, misleading, or unknown. A few of the favorites? Breach of contract, subpoena, and inclusion rider. But, if you’re…
reading gift acceptance policy article

New Article Published: Why Every Nonprofit Needs a Gift Acceptance Policy

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I love the opportunity to write for the Iowa State Bar Association's monthly publication, The Iowa Lawyer. I enjoy even more that you don't have to be an attorney, judge, or even work in the legal field to read it! I recommend all nonprofit…
Dollar bill against white background

ABCs of CGAs: Basics of Charitable Gift Annuities

The Basics A charitable gift annuity (CGA) is a contract in which a charity, in return for a transfer of assets, such as say, stocks or farmland, agrees to pay a fixed amount of money to one or two individuals, for their lifetime. A person…

(Legal) Word of the Day: Settlor (AKA Donor or Grantor)

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Settlor (or Donor or Grantor) The person who creates a trust is called the settlor (sometimes called the donor or grantor). It is the settlor’s intent which is of paramount importance. It is the intent of the settlor that determines whether…
father's day

Happy Father's Day: Give Dad the Gift of Estate Planning

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, grandpas, uncles, and father figures out there! There are many kinds of fathers, from the beer-drinking to the book-reading, from the golf-loving to the car-fixing, to all of the above. And, just like there's…