Estate Planning for Blended Families: Wills, Trusts, Fiduciary Responsibilities, and More

Rebecca W. Geyer | Rebecca W. Geyer & Associates, PC

Rebecca W. Geyer is the founder of Rebecca W. Geyer & Associates, PC, where her practice concentrates in estate planning, estate and trust administration, elder law, tax planning, and business services. A board-certified Indiana trust and estate specialist* and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Rebecca is also an adjunct professor of elder law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Rebecca completed her undergraduate degree at Indiana University, majoring in Political Science. She went on to earn her Juris Doctor in 1998 at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law. An avid volunteer in both the legal community and the Indianapolis community at large, Rebecca often speaks and writes on estate planning and elder law topics and annually provides pro bono legal services to individuals through her work with the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Albert and Sara Reuben Senior Resource and Community Center, and the Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County.

As a frequent lecturer and seminar presenter, Rebecca has authored numerous seminars with ICLEF, ALI-CLE, ISBA, and IBA. Her recent presentations include “Estate Planning for Blended Families,” “Final Regulations on the SECURE Act”, “Trust Decanting,” “Alternatives to Guardianship,” and “Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples in Light of Obergefell and Dobbs.”

Rebecca is Immediate Past Chair of the Indiana Chapter of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, served as 2023 President of the Indianapolis Bar Association, is Past President of the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, former Chair of the Estate Planning and Administration Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, former Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Indiana State Bar Association, and a Past President of the Indiana Section of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). She served on the Board of Governors of the Indiana State Bar Association from 2016-2018. In 2023, Rebecca was recognized as one of the 250 most influential business leaders in Indiana by the Indianapolis Business Journal. Since 2014, Rebecca has been named to the prestigious list of Super Lawyers® for estate planning and has been designated as one of the top 50 attorneys in Indiana and one of the top 25 women lawyers in Indiana since 2016 by Law & Politics Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly. Since 2022, Super Lawyers® has recognized Rebecca as a top 10 attorney in Indiana. In 2018, Rebecca was recognized by the Indianapolis Bar Association for service to the profession and was awarded the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Dr. John Morton Finney Award for Excellence in Legal Education in 2013. Rebecca also volunteers in the community where she serves on the board of the Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County, as President of the Congregation Beth-El Zedeck Foundation, Treasurer of the Indianapolis Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, and a member of the Public Policy Committee for CICOA.

Rebecca’s professional memberships also include the Sagamore Inn of Court, Estate Planning and Administration Section of the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Probate, Trust and Real Property Section and the Elder Law Section of the Indiana State Bar Association, the Indiana Probate Review Committee, Estate Planning Council of Indiana, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Rebecca was recognized as a distinguished fellow by the Indianapolis Bar Foundation in 2010.

I. Inheritance Issues in Blended Families | 2:00pm – 2:12pm

II. Reciprocal Planning Agreements | 2:12pm – 2:24pm

III. Will and Trust Planning Options | 2:24pm – 2:36pm

IV. Fiduciary Considerations | 2:36pm – 2:48pm

V. Asset Titling for Blended Families | 2:48pm – 3:00pm