Rilus Law - formerly Dana and Associates, LLC

10/09/2026

One of the first things a trustee needs to handle after a loved one passes is keeping trust finances separate.

The trust should have its own EIN and its own bank account. Trust income and expenses should flow through the trust account, not your personal checking account.

It may seem like a small detail, but keeping trust and personal funds separate helps create a clear record of what belongs to the trust and what doesn’t.

When you’re serving as trustee, good recordkeeping isn’t just helpful. It’s part of the responsibility.

10/08/2026

One of the most common estate planning misconceptions is that your home will automatically go to your family when you’re gone.

It may not be that simple.

The way your property is titled and the plan you have in place can affect whether your family has to go through probate before the property can be transferred.

A little planning now can make the process much clearer for the people you leave behind.

10/06/2026

Big life changes usually come with a long list of things to update.

Your address. Your insurance. Your estate plan.

But there’s one detail that's easy to overlook: who you’ve named to receive your accounts.

Retirement accounts, life insurance, and other assets may pass according to their own beneficiary designations. So even if your will is up to date, those designations still deserve a look.

It’s a small step that can make a big difference in making sure your plan reflects the life you’re actually living.

If it’s been a while since you reviewed yours, we’re happy to help you take a closer look.

09/29/2026

When someone passes away, one of the first questions is often surprisingly simple: What did they actually own?

A house may be easy to find. A bank account may not be. An old retirement account, life insurance policy, investment account, or digital asset can be much harder to uncover.🔎

And today, a lot of the clues that used to arrive in the mailbox now live in an inbox.

That is why good estate planning is not just about preparing legal documents. It is also about making sure the people who will have to step in can actually find what you left behind.

Visit RilusLaw.com to schedule a consultation.

09/28/2026

The person you chose to manage your estate five years ago might have been the perfect choice then. But life changes, and your plan should change with it.🔄

Relationships change. Circumstances change. The people and companies you trust can change, too.

That is why estate planning should not be a "set it and forget it" decision. A periodic review gives you a chance to ask a simple question:

"Would I still choose this person or company today?"

👉 If it has been a few years since you reviewed your plan, we can help you take another look.
Visit RilusLaw.com to learn more.

09/24/2026

The hardest part of planning for the unexpected is accepting that you cannot schedule it.

A sudden illness, an accident, or a moment when someone can no longer speak for themselves can leave a family making decisions with very little time and even less certainty.

That is when having clear instructions matters most.📄

Do not wait for a crisis to decide who should make decisions for you. We can help you put the right plan in place while you can still make the choices.

Visit RilusLaw.com to learn more or schedule a consultation.

09/22/2026

What to Do When a Parent Dies in Arizona: Timeline for the First 2 Weeks

Losing a parent is one of life’s most difficult experiences. On top of the grief over the loss, the bereaved children must deal with shifting family dynamics, unfamiliar legal processes, and overwhelming estate administration duties.

09/21/2026

A business can be one of the most valuable things someone leaves behind.

But it is not like leaving someone a bank account.

Someone has to operate it.

Someone has to make decisions.

Someone may need to buy out an interest.

Someone may need to sell it.

And sometimes, the person who inherits the business is not the person who should be running it.

Business succession is an estate planning issue, too.

09/18/2026

Your inbox might be more important to your estate than you think.📩

A lot of financial information no longer arrives in the mailbox. Bank statements, investment updates, account notifications, and other clues about what someone owns may all live in their email.

A well-designed digital estate plan can give the right person a way to identify those accounts without turning over your entire digital life.

Your email is part of your financial trail. Make sure your estate plan knows how to follow it.

Visit RilusLaw.com to learn more.

09/16/2026

Your digital assets do not come with a simple "hand this to my family" button.💻

There needs to be a clear process for identifying what exists, who has authority to access it, and where the important information can be found.

That is where thoughtful digital estate planning comes in. It is not about handing over every password. It is about making sure the right people can identify and manage the right assets when the time comes.

Learn more at RilusLaw.com