Rice & Rice

09/02/2026

Every family thinks their family would never fight over stuff...

Our latest article breaks down how Power of Attorney conflicts arise among Indiana families, and how the right planning keeps them from arising in the first place.

Worth the read:

The Rice & Rice blog covers elder law and estate planning topics to help Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan families protect what matters most.

08/28/2026

You can't be there for every hard moment. But your plan can.

When you can't answer the questions. When you can't calm the confusion. When you can't be in the room. Your plan can.

08/27/2026

"Can't I just do this online?"

An online form can generate a document. But it can't tell you if that document actually works with your beneficiary forms, your trust funding, or your family's specific situation. An estate planning attorney's entire job is making sure the plan works, not just on paper, but in the hospital, at the bank, and in the moments your family needs it most.

The cheapest plan isn't the one with the lowest price tag. It's the one that actually works.

08/26/2026

There's a reason so many feel at ease the moment they walk into Rice & Rice.

Donna Rice has spent 27 years practicing estate planning and elder law in Indiana — helping families navigate some of the most emotional, complex, and personal decisions of their lives. The conversations that are hard to start. The questions nobody wants to ask out loud. The plans that protect the people you love most.

She's not just an attorney. She's a partner in a firm that's been family-built and family-run for more than 50 years — and she's one of the reasons more than 12,000 families across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan have trusted Rice & Rice with what matters most.

Get to know Donna here:

Donna Rice is an elder law and estate planning attorney at Rice & Rice, serving families across Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Schedule a free consultation today.

08/21/2026

Ask anyone what they'd save first in a fire, and it's never the paperwork.

It's the recipe card in their handwriting. The note tucked in a lunchbox. The birthday card signed "Love, Mom" one more time.

That's the thing about legacy... the most valuable parts were never the expensive parts. They were the personal ones. The ones that prove a life was lived and a family was loved.

The paperwork matters because it protects the people. But it's the people, and the love between them, that matter most of all. 💛

08/20/2026

Your bank account doesn't care how much your family loves you.

If you can't sign the check and don't have the right documents in place, your family is locked out. A will doesn't help you while you're alive. A financial power of attorney and a properly funded trust change that, but only if they're ready before the moment arrives.

The people who love you can't help you if the bank won't let them in.

08/19/2026

What happens if you're rushed to the hospital and no one can find your healthcare documents?

Rice & Rice offers DocuBank — a 24/7 emergency access system that lets your loved ones pull up your most important documents from anywhere, anytime, with a single call or click.

08/14/2026

What your family will reach for first isn't the paperwork. It's the memory.

A good plan doesn't just protect what you built. It protects how they're left holding it: with clarity rather than confusion, and love rather than questions.

The strongest legacies aren't just left. They're prepared. 💛

08/13/2026

Most families never have this conversation until they're standing in a hospital hallway trying to figure out who can even ask the doctor a question.

Without the right plan, a court may have to decide who speaks for you. A will doesn't help you while you're alive. The right documents put the people you chose in the room, following your instructions.

The last thing you should ever have to worry about is who gets to speak for you. 💛

08/12/2026

Meet one of the attorneys behind Rice & Rice.

Cliff Rice has been practicing in Indiana since 1972 — over 50 years of helping families protect what they love. He's also spent decades teaching estate planning to hundreds of other attorneys across the country, including as the initial instructor of a national course called The Practicum.

Learn more about Cliff here:

Cliff Rice. If you are dealing with an estate planning issue, such as wills or trusts, do not hesitate to get the involvement of a Valparaiso Estate Planning Attorney from Rice & Rice.