by Ruby Steinbrecher | Oct 27, 2026 | Estate Planning, Legacy, Trusts
You and your spouse planned for one of you to carry on. You named each other as beneficiaries and talked about how the survivor would care for your family. It is understandable if you never asked what happens when neither of you can. What happens if spouses die...
by Ruby Steinbrecher | Oct 12, 2026 | Estate Planning, Legacy
You bought the policy because someone depends on you. That was an act of care, even if it felt like one more form to finish between work, dinner, and everything else. Now you have a trust, and a question: should your life insurance beneficiary still be your spouse?...
by Ruby Steinbrecher | Sep 17, 2026 | Estate Planning, Tips, Trusts
There’s a phrase most of us remember from decades past: “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” It was simple, direct, and it worked, because it reframed a difficult conversation as an act of friendship, not judgment. The same logic applies to...
by Ruby Steinbrecher | Aug 18, 2026 | Estate Planning, Estate Taxes, Trusts
A client forwarded me a CNBC article last week with a note: “Does this affect our trust?” It was a reasonable question. The article described a provision buried in the One Big Beautiful Bill that tax lawyers and accountants are calling a double taxation...
by Ruby Steinbrecher | Aug 2, 2026 | Estate Planning, Probate
The call came four days after her husband died. A credit card company. Forty-one thousand dollars on his account. The representative told her she was responsible for the balance and asked when she could begin making payments. She was grieving, overwhelmed, and certain...
