Norton Estate Planning & Elder Law, LLC

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Norton Estate Planning & Elder Law, LLC We assist clients in creating a personalized estate plan that meets their expectations & after a death, facilitate the implementation of those wishes.

Norton Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm is a law firm committed to helping individuals create a personalized estate plan that meets their expectations. The firm is comprised of individuals that believe in education, maintenance, and collaboration. We believe that estate planning should focus on providing you with a plan that reflects who you are, maximizes your control during life, protects you and your wishes in the event of a disability, and provides the instructions for carrying out your legacy at your eventual death. Norton Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm is designed to provide the steps for initially setting up your plan, maintaining the plan once in place and assisting with the administration of the plan once the death occurs. We believe in proactively engaging the family and collaborating with professionals across various fields to create a plan that "Protects Your Dignity and Secures Your Legacy."

“Our family gets along, so probate should be easy.”I understand why people think that. And having cooperative family mem...
10/19/2026

“Our family gets along, so probate should be easy.”

I understand why people think that. And having cooperative family members can absolutely make things easier.

But everyone agreeing does not eliminate the probate process.

The executor may still have court requirements to follow, assets to identify, debts to address, records to keep, deadlines to meet, and distributions to complete properly. Even when every beneficiary is on the same page, there can still be legal and administrative work that has to happen before the estate can be closed.

Family harmony helps. It just does not replace the process.

That is an important distinction, especially for an executor who is trying to understand why settling an estate may be taking longer or requiring more work than expected.

Share this blog with the person in your family who has agreed to serve as executor.
https://www.estate-planners.org/do-you-need-a-probate-attorney-or-can-you-handle-probate-yourself/

If you are caring for someone with dementia, you already know that some days can leave you wondering, “What am I suppose...
10/16/2026

If you are caring for someone with dementia, you already know that some days can leave you wondering, “What am I supposed to do here?”

A parent may suddenly become agitated. A familiar routine may cause frustration. The same question may come up again and again. And even when you know the behavior is connected to dementia, it can still be difficult to know how to respond in the moment.

That is why I am so glad we are able to offer this conversation.

On Tuesday, October 27 at 6:00 PM, we will be joined virtually by Mollie A. Richards and Ralph Richards for “Understanding and Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors.”

Mollie and Ralph bring decades of experience in healthcare, Alzheimer’s education, advocacy, and community education, and I think this will be an incredibly valuable conversation for anyone caring for a loved one with dementia.

We will meet virtually via Microsoft Teams. Use the QR code on the flyer to register, or click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFB5PMAi2yEkJW0_aGnaEkD8h8rk2wdUrbLJpGV5e8fEnLiA/viewform

If dementia is part of your family’s story right now, I hope you will join us.

Planning ahead can feel overwhelming, especially when you are not sure which documents you actually need or what each on...
10/15/2026

Planning ahead can feel overwhelming, especially when you are not sure which documents you actually need or what each one is supposed to do.

That is exactly what we are going to talk about at our upcoming presentation, “Planning Ahead With Confidence: Wills and Other Important Documents for Seniors.”

Jennifer Norton will walk through the role of a will, the differences between wills and living trusts, how probate may affect an estate, why beneficiary designations and asset ownership matter, and what questions you should be asking before meeting with an attorney.

The goal is simple: help you feel more informed, more prepared, and more confident about the decisions ahead.

Join us Friday, November 6 at 11 am at 4550 N. Illinois St.

Seating is limited, so reserve your seat today by calling or emailing the contacts on the flyer.

Do you really need a probate attorney, or can you handle it yourself?The answer is: it depends on the estate.Some probat...
10/15/2026

Do you really need a probate attorney, or can you handle it yourself?

The answer is: it depends on the estate.

Some probate matters are relatively straightforward. Others become complicated very quickly because of creditor claims, unusual assets, tax issues, unclear documents, family disagreements, or simply the amount of work involved.

That is why I do not think the first question should be, “Can I technically do this myself?”

A better question is, “What am I actually dealing with?”

If you have been named executor, you may be responsible for locating and protecting assets, paying valid debts, handling court filings, communicating with beneficiaries, addressing tax issues, and ultimately making sure property is distributed correctly. That can be a lot to take on, especially when you are also grieving.

Legal help does not always mean handing over every part of the process. Sometimes it means getting guidance on the pieces where the risk, responsibility, or uncertainty is highest.

If you are trying to figure out what level of help makes sense for an estate, request a consultation with Norton Estate Planning & Elder Law Firm, LLC.

Read more on the blog: https://www.estate-planners.org/do-you-need-a-probate-attorney-or-can-you-handle-probate-yourself/

Being named executor does not mean you simply read the will and hand everyone their inheritance.For many people, that is...
10/14/2026

Being named executor does not mean you simply read the will and hand everyone their inheritance.

For many people, that is one of the biggest surprises about probate.

An executor may need to locate assets, secure property, notify interested parties, deal with creditors, keep records, handle court filings, address tax matters, communicate with beneficiaries, and make sure distributions are made correctly.

And all of that is happening while the family is grieving.

It is a responsibility that can feel very manageable at first, especially when everyone gets along and the estate seems simple. But once the paperwork, deadlines, questions, and decisions start piling up, it can become much more involved than expected.

Being named executor means someone trusted you. It does not mean they expected you to already know how to settle an estate.

Save this if you have been named executor, or if someone has asked you to serve in that role someday.

Learn more on the blog! https://www.estate-planners.org/do-you-need-a-probate-attorney-or-can-you-handle-probate-yourself/

You unpacked the dishes. Changed your driver's license. Found a new doctor. Updated your address with the bank. Figured ...
10/12/2026

You unpacked the dishes. Changed your driver's license. Found a new doctor. Updated your address with the bank. Figured out which grocery store you like.

And somewhere in a box is the estate plan you signed before you moved.

This happens all the time.

Moving comes with a thousand little things to do, and reviewing an estate plan rarely feels urgent when there are boxes in every room and an entire life to settle into.

Then one year becomes three. Three becomes seven. And the plan created for your old home, your old assets, and sometimes even an older version of your family is still sitting there untouched.

That doesn't automatically mean the plan is bad or invalid. It simply means it deserves another look.

Estate plans should change when life changes, and moving to another state is a pretty significant life change.

If you've been meaning to pull that old binder out of the box, maybe this is your reminder to finally start the conversation.

Read more on our blog: https://www.estate-planners.org/moving-to-another-state-your-estate-plan-needs-a-little-unpacking-too/

Reviews like these mean so much to us because they reflect exactly what we want every family to experience when they wal...
10/09/2026

Reviews like these mean so much to us because they reflect exactly what we want every family to experience when they walk through our doors.

We want you to feel welcomed. We want your questions answered. We want you to understand your options, feel confident in the decisions you are making, and know that you have a team beside you that genuinely cares about getting it right.

Estate planning can feel overwhelming when you are trying to make important decisions for yourself and the people you love. Our job is to make that process clearer, more approachable, and easier to understand.

To the clients who take the time to share their experience with us, thank you. Your trust means more than you know, and we are grateful for the opportunity to serve you and your families.

You moved. Your estate plan was created somewhere else. Do you have to throw the whole thing out and start over?Usually,...
10/08/2026

You moved. Your estate plan was created somewhere else. Do you have to throw the whole thing out and start over?

Usually, that is not the right way to think about it.

Estate planning documents created in another state may still be legally valid after you move. But validity is only part of the conversation. State laws can affect how documents are interpreted, how real estate is handled, how probate works, and even how easily a Power of Attorney or healthcare document may be used.

Then there are all the things that may have changed that have nothing to do with crossing a state line. Your assets may be different. Your family may be different. The people you named years ago may no longer be the people you would choose today.

Our latest blog answers the question we hear from people who move to Indiana with an existing plan: Is it still valid, and more importantly, does it still work?

https://www.estate-planners.org/moving-to-another-state-your-estate-plan-needs-a-little-unpacking-too/

Mom moved to Indiana three years ago to be closer to the kids.She already had an estate plan, so nobody thought much abo...
10/07/2026

Mom moved to Indiana three years ago to be closer to the kids.

She already had an estate plan, so nobody thought much about it. Her Power of Attorney had been signed years earlier in another state, and as far as the family knew, that box had already been checked.

Then Mom needed help managing her finances.

Her daughter took the Power of Attorney to the bank, expecting this to be the easy part. Instead, there were questions about the document and whether the bank would accept it.

This is the kind of problem families often don't discover until they actually need a document to work.

A Power of Attorney sitting safely in a binder is one thing. A Power of Attorney being presented to a financial institution during a stressful moment is another.

Moving does not automatically mean an older Power of Attorney is invalid. But if your family has relocated, reviewing those documents before someone needs to use them can save a lot of frustration later.

Share this with a family member who has moved but is still relying on an estate plan created somewhere else.

After a move, people often ask me, “Is my estate plan still valid?”That matters. But it isn't the only question I want a...
10/06/2026

After a move, people often ask me, “Is my estate plan still valid?”

That matters. But it isn't the only question I want answered.

I also want to know whether the plan still works well for your family.

When I review an estate plan after someone moves to Indiana, I am looking at the bigger picture. What does Indiana law mean for the documents you already have? What assets do you own now? Who is named to make financial and healthcare decisions for you? Are your beneficiary designations coordinated with the rest of the plan? Has anything changed in your family since those documents were signed?

Sometimes the answer is that very little needs to change. Other times, we uncover things that would be much easier to address now than during an emergency or after someone dies.

The goal isn't to replace documents simply because they came from another state. The goal is to make sure the plan you already have still does the job you intended it to do.

Save this if you or someone in your family has recently moved to Indiana.

Read more on our blog: https://www.estate-planners.org/moving-to-another-state-your-estate-plan-needs-a-little-unpacking-too/

Address

3750 N Meridian Street, Ste 300
Indianapolis, IN
46208

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Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 1pm

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+13175728696

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