About 30 Perry-area residents braved Thursday morning’s thunderstorms to attend a seminar on estate planning at the Hotel Pattee.
The seminar was sponsored by Raccoon Valley Bank and presented by the bank’s trust officer, Cathy Radebaugh, who has been with Raccoon Valley for 43 years, 42 of those years spent working on trusts.
Guest speakers were Jim Hinchliff and DuWayne J. Dalen, attorneys with the Finneseth, Dalen and Powell law firm in Perry.
Hinchliff spoke first, discussing changes following the July 2014 passage of the Iowa Uniform Power of Attorney Act and paying particular attention to changes in the medical power of attorney laws.
Dalen, a partner in the local firm who has practiced law in Perry for more than 20 years, mentioned the pleasures of small-town lawyering, where “you can call the local bank and talk to Cathy and get the information you need,” he said.
Dalen spoke in some detail about wills, trusts, estate taxes and the probate process. He also fielded the audience’s numerous questions.
Marjean Gries, coordinator of the Raccoon Valley Bank Ambassadors Club, was on hand to play the part of a “wife” to Hinchliff’s “husband” in a demonstration of the differences between joint tenancy and tenants in common, two forms of joint ownership of property.
Raccoon Valley Bank has hosted similar informational meetings in Dallas Center and Adel. For more information about estate planning, call Radebaugh at 515-465- 3521 or call the offices of Finneseth, Dalen and Powell at 515-465-4641.
