52: What Women Need to Know About Divorce from an Estate Planning Attorney with Rebecca Sallen

Take Back Retirement

Our series on navigating divorce continues in this episode as we sit down with estate planning attorney Rebecca Sallen.

Having gone through her own divorce, Rebecca brings important insights into why hiring an estate planner is absolutely worth the investment if you’re going through a divorce.

Plus she covers commonly-overlooked considerations amid divorce, including the importance of having trusts (if you’re a parent), having preparations in place in case of disability or even death before the finalization of the divorce, and caring for the mental health of both yourself and your dependents during and after the whole process.

Rebecca founded her own law firm in 2011, serving families and individuals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Her team provides individual wills and trusts to decrease the costs and other headaches related to estate administration. She also teaches estate and tax law to attorneys, accountants, and other professionals, and is a published author in a number of legal journals.

Key Topics:

• Why talk to an estate planner if you’re going through divorce? (2:10)
• Why having a trust is important if you have kids (6:48)
• “The prenup is a floor, not a ceiling.” (12:00)
• Creating a disability panel (14:30)
• What if one of the spouses dies before the divorce is finalized? (17:50)
• The difference between Family Court and Orphans’ Court (21:09)
• Why having mental health support is vital (25:45)
• Updating your beneficiary forms (27:05)
• Finding an estate planning attorney long after your divorce (31:35)
• “You do not need to do everything.” (35:20)
• Our closing thoughts (40:15)

Resources:

• SallenLawFirm.com
• Contact Rebecca: 215-992-9662
• The SECURE Act videos
• Take Back Retirement Episode 31: What the Heck is a Trust, and Why Might I Need One?

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You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at www.takebackretirement.com.

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