Life's Third Act

In the first part of this two-part discussion, attorney and CPA Joe Cordell explains filial responsibility laws, the old statutes that obligate adult children to support indigent parents. You will learn where these laws came from, why they remain on the books in about 29 states, and when a long term care facility or other creditor may try to pursue a child when a parent cannot pay.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Houdini died on Halloween in 1926 and left a will of 23 articles that appears to have been drafted by his own hand. It still did not do what he wanted. In today’s episode of Life’s Third Act, Cordell & Cordell Senior Estate Planning Attorney John Sauter walks through the document and pulls out the planning lessons you can put to work in your own.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Jimmy Buffett’s $275 million estate is headed back to court, with a January 2027 trial in Florida set to decide control of his QTIP trust. Welcome to another episode of Life’s Third Act, hosted by attorney and CPA Joe Cordell. We focus on the planning side of life, especially for celebrities, and what their stories can teach the rest of us.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Dolly Parton did planning for her estate, but conflict still arose after her passing. This episode explains the latest filing and what it teaches about intent and communication.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

For this special installment of Life’s Third Act, attorney and CPA Joe Cordell welcomes Arizona probate attorney Tom Asimo to discuss the legal response behind a complex elder protection case. This conversation concludes our three part series on the Rhonda Lynn Orr case and elder financial abuse. 

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Attorney and CPA Joe Cordell walks through how a 92 year old woman’s life savings became the target in a family exploitation fight. In the second part of our three part series, Joe details the real life story behind our protection planning discussion. Mildred Callahan, a 92 year old retiree in Arizona living with dementia, had disinherited her niece Rhonda Lynn Orr back in 2013. Years later, Rhonda gained control of Mildred’s accounts, opened a credit card in her name, tapped her CD and annuity, and tried to move $200,000 in one transfer that Bank of America stopped.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

Many parents assume their children will step in to protect them as they age. Attorney and CPA Joe Cordell explains why that assumption can leave you vulnerable, and what to plan instead.

In this episode of Life’s Third Act, Joe lays out a practical message we call balance of life planning. As families live farther apart, face estrangement, and feel sandwich generation pressure, even loving kids may not be nearby, available, or suited to manage your finances and care alone. Joe walks through why vulnerability plus assets with no protector creates the perfect conditions for financial exploitation, and how tools like professional fiduciaries and co trusteeship can add a layer of protection.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

You can write a prenup that says anything. Getting a court to enforce it is the whole game. In the second part of our two part crossover with the No Judgement Podcast, estate planning attorney John Sauter and senior litigation partner Wil Halaz pick up where they left off and walk through what actually makes a prenuptial agreement hold up: reasonableness, consideration, time to review, and the terms a judge will simply throw out. They also settle the question almost everyone gets wrong, why keeping a separate bank account does not keep your money separate, and why a trust sometimes does the job better than an agreement.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

When divorce and estate planning collide, most people only think about the breakup, not the paperwork. In this crossover episode with the No Judgement Podcast, estate planning attorney John Sauter and litigation partner Wil Halaz sit down to tackle the intersection of family law and estate planning, and why a prenuptial agreement may be the most powerful planning tool you never considered.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!

A real life example can teach you more than a hundred hypotheticals. In this episode, Joe shares the story of a friend’s brother, a 75-year-old retired physician who spent his life saving carefully, built an estate worth roughly $3 million, and never put a single piece of planning in place. Then he had a stroke, and everything his loved ones thought they understood fell apart. This is the clearest look yet at why an estate plan is about protecting you while you’re still here, not just deciding where your assets go.

Call 866-323-7529 or visit https://cordellcordell.com/practice-areas/estate-planning/ to schedule an estate planning consultation. For a limited time, mention LIFE’S THIRD ACT for 15% off eligible estate planning services!