Category: Holiday Specials

The tradition of building and decorating gingerbread houses dates back to the 16th century in Europe. We, at Ivy Law Group, have been making and eating them for 20 years! Above are some of this year’s creations. Please email us with photos of your own.

ESTATE PLANNING IS UNCOMFORTABLE

I met with a client today who was updating her estate planning documents. We had prepared them six years ago and she had a few revisions we were able to take care in one meeting.

After we finished, she told me that no one wants to do their estate planning. It is challenging, depressing, and easy and tempting to postpone.  But after going through the probate process with her husband’s premature death, she knew the importance of doing the work.  “I don’t want to make it any harder for my family than it has to be,” she said.

We do things all the time that are uncomfortable but ”good” for us: medical procedures, flossing our teeth, buying insurance, and preparing for earthquakes are just a few examples!

Estate planning is a gift to your family. Want to start your holiday shopping early?  Give us a call!

 

 

Easter is this Sunday, Passover began Monday night, and signs of spring are everywhere. Parents who are divorcing, or married for that matter, struggle with how to share their religious beliefs with their children. When parents have different beliefs the problem is magnified. When parents have different beliefs and then divorce it can be a challenging situation. In ages past, cultural norms would have children follow the father’s religion, or the mother’s religion. When parents divorced then typically the parent with “custody” or the “primary residential parent” was allowed to direct the children’s religious education and experience. That has changed. Now courts are more likely to rule that the children will follow the religious practice of the parent they are currently with. In a religious version of ‘love the one you’re with’ each parent can take the child to their church, or synagogue or pagan festival so long as it is during their residential time with the child. Eventually all children must be allowed to choose their own belief system and religious practice (welcome to the teenage years). As is all co-parenting issue, mutual respect is the key to success.