Estate Planning Basics with Attorney Natalie Black (Worden Thane) | Wills, Trusts, Probate & Powers of Attorney (Note : Not official legal advise)

On this episode of Lets Talk Wealth Podcast, host Robert and co-host Josie talk with Natalie Black, a partner at Missoula law firm Worden & Thane, about her path from law school intern to partner and her “work hard, play hard” philosophy. Natalie explains core estate-planning documents—wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills—why powers of attorney matter even for young adults, and how failing to plan can trigger costly guardianship/conservatorship proceedings. The conversation covers probate in Montana, strategies to avoid it (beneficiary designations, joint ownership, transfer-on-death deeds, and trusts), and why beneficiary designations can override a will. They compare Montana practice to “big law,” discuss revocable vs irrevocable trusts (including estate-tax and specialized needs planning concepts), touch on UTMA and 529 considerations, and highlight real-world scenarios involving incapacity, family conflict, and fraud risks.

( Note : Not to take this as official legal advice )

00:00 Welcome to the Lets Talk Wealth Podcast

00:40 Work Hard Play Hard

03:24 Becoming a Law Partner

05:17 Why Law School

09:39 Standing Out in Interviews

16:34 Big Law vs Montana Practice

21:59 Choosing Estate Planning

27:30 Estate Planning Basics

32:31 Recruiting Drive to MEPS

33:01 Wrong Way Crash Scene

34:04 First Responder Aftermath

34:53 Estate Planning Cost Reality

36:07 Holographic Wills Explained

37:44 Power of Attorney Pitfalls

39:56 Beneficiary Designation Nightmares

43:34 Why Beneficiaries Override Wills

46:15 Probate Process Breakdown

51:38 Guardianship for Minor Kids

55:57 UTMA and 529 Tradeoffs

59:36 Changing UTMA Needs Court

01:02:53 Parenting Tangent and Control

01:05:09 Control in Marriage

01:05:57 Trust Basics Explained

01:07:13 Revocable vs Irrevocable

01:09:53 Estate Tax Gifting Trusts

01:12:52 State Laws and Community Property

01:15:39 Prenups and Protecting Wealth

01:25:56 Medicaid Trusts and Lookback

01:28:24 Corporate Trustees and Compliance

01:31:55 Special Needs Trusts

01:33:23 Medicaid Workarounds Reality

01:33:54 Estate Planning Priorities

01:35:13 Power of Attorney Basics

01:35:57 Living Wills and Trusts

01:37:09 Durable vs Springing POA

01:39:13 Limiting Authority and Fiduciary Duty

01:42:43 Undue Influence Red Flags

01:45:46 Challenging Capacity in Court

01:47:55 Scams and Advisor Intervention

01:52:27 Stewardship and Value Mindset

01:56:16 How to Connect and Wrap Up

( Disclaimer : This podcast is for general information and educational purposes only. This is not official legal or wealth advice)

In this episode of Lets Talk Wealth Podcast, the host welcomes friend and jiu-jitsu training partner Sam Alderson, sharing stories from early rolls and Sam’s long-running dominance on the mats. Sam explains the biggest positive impact in his life: learning to be a good friend to yourself—honest, helpful, and kind rather than self-tyrannical. He discusses growing up in Montana, disliking school, and finding his path as an artist, including glassblowing and later using Instagram to build his business. Sam connects American pipe-making glass culture to MMA, and outlines his views on discipline, creativity, and avoiding reliance on AI for thinking or art. He reflects on his grandfather's influence, his approach to learning and teaching jiu-jitsu, and what he hopes to teach his son Remy. He closes by sharing where to find his work: Alderson Studios on Instagram and aldersonstudios.com. Sponsored by Nexus Wealth

Active vs Passive Investing in 2026 + AI, Anxiety, Buying a House, and Building Real Financial Security | Nexus Insights | Letstalkwealthpodcast.com | Sponsored by Nexus Wealth Management Robert Ellington-Montes and co-host Josie Allred (Here in Missoula, MT) record a recap episode of Nexus Insights after a guest cancels, reflecting on markets since the end of 2025 and themes heading into 2026. They discuss passive versus active management, citing SEI Private Trust’s all-equity strategy finishing around 24% versus the S&P 500 near 17.9% in 2025, and argue volatility and abundant information (including AI tools like Grok) may favor active managers. They address doomscrolling, decision paralysis, and fear-driven moves like buying physical gold, highlighting long drawdowns, markups, and custody constraints in IRAs. The conversation expands to younger adults’ challenges buying homes, building credit, budgeting with tools like Monarch, delayed gratification, and career/income growth through systems and daily focus. They cover foundational planning steps: emergency funds, debt payoff, capturing 401(k) matches, basic investing defaults like target-date funds, plus life insurance, estate documents, and resilience through health and “doing hard things.”