Desmond Law, PLLC

Desmond Law, PLLC I am an attorney who specializes in estate planning. I help you avoid probate and family conflict. Don't wait too long!

I handle complex planning for blended families, traditional families, individuals and high net worth couples. I provide a custom and thoughtful estate plan just right for you and your family. I also make sure you have decision-makers in place should you become incapacitated. Make sure you have a plan so you're in charge of your future and can plan to avoid family conflict and court!

Most parents have had the conversation. Some have even reached a clear agreement. But an agreement that lives in your he...
06/02/2026

Most parents have had the conversation. Some have even reached a clear agreement. But an agreement that lives in your heads and nowhere in a legal document carries no weight in a courtroom.

If something happened to both of you tonight, the people you trust most (the grandparents who live 20 minutes away, the sibling who already loves your children like their own) have no automatic legal authority to take custody. Even a godparent has no automatic legal authority to step in.

This week's article covers the question I hear most often: Does talking about it count?

Here’s the answer.

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Most parents have thought about who would raise their children if something happened to them. Maybe during a long drive....
06/01/2026

Most parents have thought about who would raise their children if something happened to them. Maybe during a long drive. Maybe in a conversation with a partner that reached an agreement in your heads, but never made it onto paper.

Here is what most parents don't realize: that agreement doesn't exist in the eyes of the law. If something happened to you tonight, the decision about who raises your children wouldn't belong to you anymore. It would belong to a court.

And there is a second question almost no one plans for: what happens in the first 72 hours? Who has the legal authority to pick up your children from school if you were hospitalized tonight? Who can authorize emergency care? Even the people who love your children most have no automatic right to step in.

This week's blog is about both questions and what it takes to actually have an answer to each.

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Nothing means more than hearing our clients feel confident, cared for, and protected for the future. 💙Helping families c...
05/31/2026

Nothing means more than hearing our clients feel confident, cared for, and protected for the future. 💙

Helping families create plans that truly work for them is why we do what we do. Thank you for your kind words and trust in our team!

Ready to create or update your estate plan? DM us or visit the link in bio to get started.

Most estate plans cover what happens to your assets when you die. Very few cover what happens to your surviving spouse's...
05/30/2026

Most estate plans cover what happens to your assets when you die. Very few cover what happens to your surviving spouse's tax bill the year after.

The widow penalty is one of the first things I raise when I sit down with couples, because by the time most surviving spouses find out about it, it is too late to plan around it.

That conversation belongs in the plan. Not on April 15th.

Did you know? Most surviving spouses end up paying tax on a larger share of their Social Security benefit after their sp...
05/29/2026

Did you know? Most surviving spouses end up paying tax on a larger share of their Social Security benefit after their spouse dies, and not because their income went up.

When a spouse dies, the threshold that determines whether up to 85% of your Social Security becomes taxable drops by $10,000. That shift, on top of the standard deduction loss and tighter tax brackets, is part of what makes the widow penalty so costly for so many families.

And here is the part that surprises most people: the Social Security taxation thresholds have not been adjusted for inflation since 1983. Every other part of the tax code scales up over time. These do not. That means more surviving spouses cross into taxable territory every year, simply because they are now filing alone.

This week's article explains how it works and what you can do to plan around it now.

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In case you missed it: this week's article on the widow penalty is worth reading before you need it.When a spouse dies, ...
05/28/2026

In case you missed it: this week's article on the widow penalty is worth reading before you need it.

When a spouse dies, the surviving partner doesn't just lose their person. They lose their married-filing-jointly tax status. And for most families, that triggers three separate financial hits: a higher income tax rate on the same income, a Medicare surcharge that did not apply before, and a larger percentage of Social Security becoming taxable.

Most estate plans never address any of it. A Personal Family Lawyer does, because we are there for the family, not just for the documents. This article explains what those hits look like and what couples can do while they still have time.

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There is a question most estate plans never ask: what does the financial life of the person left behind actually look li...
05/28/2026

There is a question most estate plans never ask: what does the financial life of the person left behind actually look like?

Most estate planning conversations stop at document transfer. Who gets what? How do assets pass? What does the trust say?

A Personal Family Lawyer goes further. The widow penalty is one of the first things we raise when sitting down with couples, because by the time most surviving spouses discover it, the window to do something meaningful about it has already closed. The right plan addresses it while both spouses are still here to make those decisions together.

If that conversation has not been part of your planning yet, it belongs there.

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The widow penalty is not a vague concept. It has a specific dollar figure attached to it.In 2026, the standard deduction...
05/26/2026

The widow penalty is not a vague concept. It has a specific dollar figure attached to it.

In 2026, the standard deduction for a married couple over 65 is $35,500. For a single filer, it drops to $18,150. That one change alone creates more than $17,000 of additional taxable income, before anything else in the surviving spouse's financial picture has shifted.

This week's article answers the question: what the widow penalty actually is, and whether your current estate plan addresses it. Swipe through, then read the full article for what you can do about it now.

Nobody warned her about the widow penalty. She found out about it in April after her husband died.This week's blog is ab...
05/25/2026

Nobody warned her about the widow penalty. She found out about it in April after her husband died.

This week's blog is about what the widow penalty costs, who it hits, and what couples can do about it now while there is still time.

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🇺🇸 Today we pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Their c...
05/25/2026

🇺🇸 Today we pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Their courage, service, and dedication will never be forgotten.

Wishing everyone a meaningful and reflective Memorial Day. ❤️🤍💙

Address

10565 N 114th Street Suite 113
Scottsdale, AZ
85259

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14808489550

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