Estate Planning for Business Owners Are You Prepared?

November 18, 2025

Estate planning for business owners is not about drafting a simple will — it’s about protecting your life’s work, your family, and the business you built from the ground up. Entrepreneurs face unique risks that traditional estate plans don’t address. Without a coordinated plan that aligns both business governance documents and personal estate documents, your company can be frozen, your family can be thrust into conflict, and courts can make decisions you never intended.

Buying Into a Franchise? Here’s What Smart Owners Know

November 10, 2025

Thinking about buying into a franchise? Before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you understand exactly what you’re agreeing to. Franchising can be a powerful way to build wealth — you get brand recognition, systems, and training — but it also comes with obligations, fees, and restrictions that can make or break your investment.

Non-U.S. Citizen Spouses – How It Affects Your Planning

November 3, 2025

Estate planning becomes significantly more complex when one spouse is not a U.S. citizen. Most married couples can transfer assets freely between each other using the unlimited marital deduction — deferring estate taxes until both spouses have passed. However, this key benefit is available only when both spouses are U.S. citizens. When one spouse is not, even a well-intentioned transfer of wealth can result in unexpected taxes of up to 40% or more.

This article from Garza Business & Estate Law explains the unique estate planning challenges faced by affluent families with international ties and outlines the legal strategies available to protect their wealth. It explores how the Qualified Domestic Trust (QDOT) can delay estate taxes for non-citizen spouses, the requirements for establishing one, and why foreign tax systems and trust recognition laws can complicate implementation.