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Alaska Law and Mediation

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Alaska Law and Mediation

Providing Peace of Mind Across Alaska

Offering statewide Estate Planning, Family Law, and Mediation Services to help Alaskans protect what matters most.

Compassionate, reliable, and here to guide you every step of the way.

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06/07/2026

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.

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

06/06/2026

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. https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

06/05/2026

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. https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

06/04/2026

There is a question I raise with almost every couple I sit down with: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?

Most estate planning conversations stop at document transfer. A will, a trust, beneficiary designations. Who gets what and how it passes.

The widow penalty lives in the space most plans never reach. A surviving spouse can do everything right: will, trust, beneficiary forms all in order, and still face thousands of dollars more in taxes the first April they file alone. Higher brackets. Smaller deduction. Medicare surcharges that did not apply before.

The decisions that prevent it are made during the planning process, while both spouses are still here. That is when I raise it. That is the conversation this week's blog is about. https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

06/03/2026

𝐀𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 $𝟏𝟕,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞.

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 is one of the first things I walk couples through when we sit down together. Not because it is the most complicated part of estate planning. Because it is the part nobody else is raising, and by the time most surviving spouses discover it, the window to do anything meaningful has already closed.

This week's article answers the question. Swipe through, then read the full article for what you can do about it now.
https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

06/03/2026

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲?

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 is one of the first things I walk couples through when we sit down together. Not because it is the most complicated part of estate planning. Because it is the part nobody else is raising, and by the time most surviving spouses discover it, the window to do anything meaningful has already closed.

This week's article answers the question. Swipe through, then read the full article for what you can do about it now.
https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

06/02/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧… 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞.

When a spouse dies, the tax code reclassifies the surviving partner as a single filer for the first full tax year after their spouse's death. Same house. Same savings. But a standard deduction that just dropped by more than $17,000, and tax brackets that push the same income into a higher rate, sooner.

This week's article breaks down what the widow's penalty is, and what couples can do now to reduce its impact before it becomes someone's first tax return as a widow.

Link to the blog here: https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you’d like to review whether your current plan would actually work when your family needs it most, you can schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

And for parents, it also means having a 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧® so the people you trust can step in for your children immediately. Claim your free plan now and put the right protections in place before you need them.
Use this link: https://alaskalawandmediation.kidsprotectionplan.com/

05/31/2026

"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨."

This is one of the most common situations I see, and one of the most preventable.

A Power of Attorney that has never been registered at your financial institution is a plan that hasn't been tested yet.

Let's fix that before a crisis does it for you. Book a free 15-minute discovery call with us: https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call
907-341-4949

And for parents, it also means having a 𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧® so the people you trust can step in for your children immediately. Claim your free plan now and put the right protections in place before you need them.
Use this link: https://alaskalawandmediation.kidsprotectionplan.com/

05/30/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰? Many major financial institutions, including Chase, Fidelity, Vanguard, and Schwab, have their own internal Power of Attorney forms. A properly drafted POA can still create delays simply because it is not the institution’s preferred paperwork.

Most families don’t discover that until they’re already in a crisis.

A plan that works is more than a stack of signed documents. It’s knowing which institutions hold your accounts, which ones prefer their own forms, and whether key assets are properly titled in a trust so your family is not left navigating compliance issues during an emergency.

That’s why we don’t just create documents and send you on your way. We begin with a Life & Legacy Planning Session to understand your family, your assets, and what matters most to you — so your plan is designed to work in the real world, not just sit in a binder.

This week’s article explains what a complete plan looks like and how to find out whether what you currently have will actually work when your family needs it most. Link to the blog here: https://www.alaskalawandmediation.com/blog

If you'd like to review your current plan, schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call

05/29/2026

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟒 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬.

The call comes. A parent has been hospitalized. The adult child named as agent doesn't go to the bank with a stack of documents and a knot in their stomach. They call me.

I already know the family. I know which institutions hold the accounts. The bank already has the Power of Attorney on file. We registered it together. The investment accounts are held in the trust. The successor trustee has a clear path to step in.

What can take two to four weeks (or even a lot longer) of waiting, rejection, escalation and even a required court process, instead takes an afternoon.

That is the difference between a set of legal documents and a plan that works.

If you're not sure whether your current plan will actually work when your family needs it most, let's find out together. Schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call here:
https://calendly.com/alaskalawandmediation/15-minute-discovery-call
907-341-4949

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1689 S Knik Goose Bay Road, Suite 100
Wasilla, AK
99654

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

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+19073414949

Website

http://alaskalawandmediation.com/

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