Law Office of Donny Knepper

07/31/2026

🏈 NFL Training Camps Are Open. Here's What That Has to Do with Estate Planning.

Every July, all 32 NFL teams head to training camp.

Not because the Super Bowl is next week.

Because they know it isn't.

Training camp is where they install the playbook, evaluate the roster, assign roles, and prepare for situations they hope never happen—but know eventually will.

Estate planning works the same way.

You don't create an estate plan because you expect to die tomorrow.

You create one because life doesn't wait until you're ready.

A good estate plan answers questions before they're ever asked:

🏈 Who's your starting quarterback? (Your Personal Representative or Successor Trustee.)

🏈 Who steps in if the starter goes down? (Your backup fiduciaries.)

🏈 Does everyone know the playbook? (Your wishes.)

🏈 Where are the important documents? (No fumbling through filing cabinets after an emergency.)

🏈 Can your team execute the plan under pressure?

The best NFL teams don't win because they have the best emergency plan.

They win because they prepared long before the emergency happened.

The same is true for families.

The goal isn't to predict the unexpected.

The goal is to make sure the people you love know exactly what to do if the unexpected happens.

Training camp is about preparing for the season ahead.

Estate planning is about preparing your family for whatever life brings.

Don't wait until the two-minute warning to install the playbook.

07/25/2026

Some of the hardest conversations I have with clients have nothing to do with money.

They have to do with choosing **who** should be in charge.

A client will often tell me:

*"I have three adult children. If I name one of them as my Personal Representative, the other two are going to think I have a favorite."*

I understand that concern.

But choosing a Personal Representative is **not** about deciding who your favorite child is.

It's about choosing the person who is most likely to successfully complete an important job.

That person is usually someone who is organized, dependable, communicates well, follows through, keeps good records, and can handle responsibility during a difficult time.

I had a little fun illustrating this idea in today's video.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Have you ever seen families mistake responsibility for favoritism?

I am an estate planning attorney whose office is in Montgomery Coun...

07/22/2026

My 12-year-old son recently asked me for $1 million.
My answer was an immediate "No."
But every week, I meet parents who—without realizing it—have a plan that could leave their children far more than that with no instructions, no protection, and no one guiding the process.
That's what this video is about.

My 12-year-old son recently asked me for $1 million.My answer was ...

07/16/2026

Why is the Personal Representative (Executor) getting paid? Are they allowed to do that?

“What Would You Say You Do Here?” There is a famous scene in Office Space where two consultants—both named Bob—interview employees and ask a brutally direct ...

07/16/2026

“We’ll figure it out when we get there” is a dangerous family vacation strategy.

- No hotel booked.
- No dinner reservations.
- No idea who is driving.
- No agreement on what time to leave.

x One person wants the beach.
x One person wants a museum.
x One person is hungry.
x One person “just needs coffee first.”

And suddenly the vacation has become a mobile family debate club.

The problem is not that people do not love each other.
The problem is that no one made a plan.

Estate planning works the same way.
When there is no clear plan, families are left trying to answer difficult questions during an already emotional time:

+ Who is in charge?
+ Where are the documents?
+ Who gets what?
+ How do we avoid court?
+ What happens next?

Those are difficult questions on an ordinary day.
They are much harder during a crisis.

A good estate plan cannot remove every bump in the road.
But it can give your family directions.
And when life becomes stressful, directions matter.
Because “we’ll figure it out later” has a way of arriving sooner than expected.

07/16/2026

07/10/2026

A wedding seating chart is basically estate planning with flowers.

Anyone who has ever helped plan a wedding knows the stress.
• You cannot put Uncle Mike next to Aunt Linda.
• The college friends need their own table.
• Grandma needs to be close to the front.
• The divorced parents require careful geography.

And still people will whisper their suspicions as to why they got placed at the "bad table" or ask to switch tables five minutes before dinner.

Why do people spend so much time on seating charts?

Because they know that unclear planning creates drama.
Now apply that to estate planning.

If families can argue over who sits next to whom for one dinner, imagine what can happen when there are houses, bank accounts, heirlooms, medical decisions, and emotions involved.

Estate planning is not about expecting your family to fight.

It is about not leaving them in a position where confusion makes fighting more likely.

Clear documents.
Clear roles.

07/07/2026

“Do I really need a Will if everything would just go to my spouse?”

I hear some version of this question all the time.

The answer is: yes, you still need a will, and you may need one more than you realize.

Without a proper estate plan, state law may decide who receives your assets, who has authority to act, and how difficult the process will be for your family.

A good estate plan is not just about who gets what.

It is about making your wishes clear, reducing confusion, and making the hard moments easier for the people you love.

If you have been putting this off, this is a good reminder to take the next step.

The Law Office of Donny Knepper, LLC
Estate Planning | Wills | Trusts | Powers of Attorney

06/25/2026

The spousal elective share is either a gift or a curse, but either way it provides an important reason to put your affairs in order.

Twenty-five years ago, Laura packed a suitcase, left Maryland, and disappeared. She moved overseas with another man and never looked back. No phone calls. N ...