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A financial power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that authorizes another individual to make decisions regarding your financial matters. You, the person granting authority, are called the “principal,” and the person who has authority to act on your behalf is called the “agent” or the “attorney-in-fact.” The person you name as your agent […]

When you think about how you want your property distributed in your will, you may have personal property that you want a particular person to receive. For example, you may want each of your daughters to receive a specific item of your mother’s jewelry that has been passed down for generations, you may want your […]

One of the biggest questions in a divorce is, will either party keep the family home? If you’d like to keep the home after divorce, there are a few things you should consider prior to the divorce being finalized. 1. Financing. If the home is financed in both your name and your spouse’s name, you […]

As important as it is to think about your family’s financial future in your estate plan, if you have minor children, it is just as important to consider who will care for your children if both parents should pass away before your minor children become adults. A guardian is a person who has legal responsibility […]

In the world of estate planning, the distinction between “non-probate” and “probate” assets is important. Your “non-probate assets” will pass directly to your beneficiaries without Court involvement. On the other hand, the Court will direct the distribution of your “probate assets” to your beneficiaries based on your Will, or to your heirs if you die without […]

Divorcing spouses are often looking for ways to reduce legal fees and costs. In some cases, when they’ve worked out the details of their case, the spouses want to “share” a lawyer. However, a shared attorney arrangement is simply not acceptable. When I meet with people who are interested in sharing an attorney with his […]

After people have a will in place, time passes and “life happens” – people get married, have children, family members pass, familial relations change, and people lose and acquire property. Instead of writing an entirely new will, a codicil allows one’s existing will to be changed. A codicil can modify, add to, subtract from, or […]

BLOGGED: Alimony: How is it calculated? In Iowa, there are standard guidelines to calculate child support. However there are no such guidelines to calculate alimony. Attorneys have no accurate way to predict the amount of alimony a spouse may pay or receive, or the duration of the alimony. When a party requests alimony, the Court […]

BLOGGED: Iowa Child Support: How is it calculated? Under Iowa law, both parents have a duty to provide adequate support for their child(ren) in proportion to their respective incomes. The Iowa Supreme Court has adopted uniform child support guidelines that are used when calculating a parent’s child support obligation. One of the most common questions that […]

BLOGGED:  The Single-Member Limited Liability Company (SMLLC) With the upward trend in entrepreneurship over the past few years, business startups are blooming all over the nation. Perhaps you have started a business of your own, whether it be your full-time job or a side gig, or you’re considering doing so. Entrepreneurs often get excited about […]