Tag: Beneficiary Designations

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Navigating Life After Loss – Part 3: Planning Your First Year with Clarity and Care (Ep. 69)

Navigating Life After Loss – Part 3: Planning Your First Year with Clarity and Care (Ep. 69)

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The first year after losing a spouse brings overwhelming emotions alongside important decisions. Knowing what needs immediate attention versus what can wait can make the difference between added stress and thoughtful progress.

In Part 3 of our Navigating Life After Loss series, I share how to approach both urgent and long-term planning after the loss of a spouse. I explain which financial and lifestyle choices deserve early focus, how tax planning can protect your future, and why building a supportive foundation is essential. Together, we look at practical ways to move forward with clarity and confidence.

Key takeaways include:

  • The impact of pre-death planning, wills, estate plans, and beneficiary designations on easing stress after loss
  • The key financial updates in the first year, including executors, trustees, Social Security timing, and income sources
  • How tax filing status changes after a spouse’s passing, and strategies like Roth conversions and capital gains harvesting
  • Rebuilding a financial foundation through account consolidation, investment updates, and income planning
  • The importance of lifestyle and emotional choices, such as housing, community support, and designing the next chapter of life
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

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Navigating Estate Planning for Remarriage in Retirement with Amy June (Ep. 42)

Navigating Estate Planning for Remarriage in Retirement with Amy June (Ep. 42)

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Estate planning is crucial, especially for those remarrying later in life.

What happens when life changes and your estate plan doesn’t? 

Amy June, an estate planning attorney focused on helping clients navigate life events, joins Eric Blake to share advice on navigating remarriage, blended families, and protecting your legacy. Learn strategies to ensure your loved ones are cared for while avoiding legal pitfalls.

Amy discusses:

  • The importance of creating or updating your estate plan before or shortly after remarriage
  • Key estate planning documents every individual or couple should have
  • Common challenges with blended families and strategies to address them
  • How to align beneficiary designations with your overall estate plan
  • The role of prenuptial agreements in safeguarding assets and clarifying intentions
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Amy June: 

About Our Guest: 

Amy June is licensed in and serves clients throughout Texas and California, specializing in estate planning and asset protection. She has a wide range of experience in-house with large companies and entrepreneurial startups and as a litigator with an Am-Law 100 law firm. She has seen what the lack of a firm business foundation and effective estate planning can do and has the experience and knowledge so that her clients avoid those expensive, time-consuming, and heartbreaking consequences.

She also has a demonstrated history of working in the community and is highly respected by her peers and clients. She takes a human, empathetic approach, eliminating the fear and intimidation of speaking with a lawyer. She invests time and energy in understanding her clients’ history, goals, and values, and is dedicated to using that knowledge to help people navigate their needs and those of their loved ones, now and in the future.

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Why You Need an Estate Plan With Chris Downs (Ep. 18)

Why You Need an Estate Plan With Chris Downs (Ep. 18)

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Are you prepared for the unexpected?

Confronting fears isn’t just a personal journey; it’s a critical aspect of financial and estate planning. This is the central theme of today’s discussion, where host Eric Blake, joined by esteemed estate planning attorney Christene “Chris” Downs, dive deep into the unique challenges and essential strategies needed for successful retirement and estate planning.

Key Highlights:

  • Untangling Estate Planning: Chris Downs simplifies complex estate planning concepts and emphasizes their importance
  • Estate Planning for All: Whether widowed, divorced, or single by choice, learn the critical role of estate planning in securing financial futures
  • Beyond the Will: Explore key aspects often overlooked in estate planning, such as incapacity planning and the power of decision-making delegation
  • Avoiding Unintended Consequences: Understand how an effective estate plan prevents scenarios like ex-spouses unintentionally remaining beneficiaries
  • Intentional Asset Distribution: Insights into the pitfalls of dying intestate and the value of deliberate asset allocation in accordance with one’s wishes
  • Powers of Attorney Explained: A deep dive into the significance of Statutory Durable and Medical Powers of Attorney in managing personal and health affairs
  • Living Wills and Beneficiary Designations: Clarifying the role of living wills and how to align beneficiary designations with your broader estate plan
  • And much more!

Resources:

Connect with Eric Blake: 

Connect with Chris (Christene) Downs: 

About Chris:

Chris’s motto is “Be Kind” & her motto defines how she practices law. 

Attorney Christene “Chris” Krupa Downs is an attorney at Krupa Downs Law, PLLC in Plano, Texas. Chris focuses her practice on wills, trusts, advance directives, estate planning, guardianships, and probate. She has 13 years of legal experience handling estate planning, probate & guardianship legal matters for clients in Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano and throughout Collin, Dallas, and Denton counties. 

In addition to her practice, Chris writes and lectures for local and state bar associations, and at legal seminars. She is a member of various professional organizations, including the Collin County Bar Association, the Dallas Bar Association, and the Texas Bar College. She is also active in the State Bar of Texas and served on the Computer and Technology Section Council.

As part of giving back to the Texas community, Chris serves on the board of the Wellness Center for Older Adults, an organization addressing the needs and concerns of Collin County’s older adult population and is treasurer of the Women’s Auxiliary to Plano Children’s Medical Center. She also serves on the board of the Junior League of Collin County as Community Strategic Director and is a former Treasurer and Executive Vice President of the organization. In 2022, Chris was recognized with the Athena Award by the Plano Chamber of Commerce and the Community Service by a Woman Lawyer award by the Collin County Women Lawyers Association.

Chris lives in Plano with her husband, David Downs.

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