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Showing posts from November, 2018

Effect of Divorce in Iowa Estate Planning: Do I Need to Change My Will to Keep My Ex Away?

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First and foremost, I don't handle divorces and won't go further with any divorce questions because my knowledge ends with that.  In 20+ years of practice, handling a divorce 20 years ago was good enough to put away those materials. But for those that have gone through a divorce, there is typically the question about how a divorce impacts your estate plan documents.  The Iowa legislators realize that many people don't go through the process to update their estate plans after a divorce, so they have implemented a series of code sections throughout the Iowa Code that essentially provide that if you get a divorce, any provisions that provide for your beloved "ex" are ignored.  Those various code sections are consolidated here to help you sleep a little easier at night: Iowa Code section 598.20A provides that if you list your ex-spouse (or relatives of your ex-spouse) as your beneficiary of life insurance, that designation is ignored. Iowa Code section 598.20B