Loraine DiSalvo, Morgan & DiSalvo, on Estate Planning, Business Succession, and Blended Families (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 932)
On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Loraine DiSalvo, partner at Morgan & DiSalvo, an Alpharetta law firm specializing in estate planning and trust administration. Loraine discusses the critical importance of proactive estate planning, particularly for business owners facing potential private equity sales or succession challenges. She explains how failing to plan before a business sale can significantly limit tax mitigation options and result in substantial estate tax exposure above the $15 million per person exemption.
Loraine addresses the complexities of estate planning for blended families, noting that no two situations are alike and emphasizing the value of open family discussions before death to prevent conflicts during grief. She also highlights a common misconception that both singles and married couples without children have simple estate planning needs, when in fact they often face complex decisions about beneficiaries beyond the typical spouse and children. The conversation covers succession planning for businesses where the next generation is not interested in taking over, the importance of having proper authority structures in place, and the various life events that should trigger an estate plan review.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- Business owners considering or approached about private equity sales should complete estate planning before any sale offer materializes, as proximity to a sale makes it increasingly difficult to support lower valuations for tax mitigation purposes.
- Georgia’s probate process can be quick and inexpensive with a well-drafted will, but inadequate documents can require tracking down distant relatives for consent and result in significantly higher costs and delays.
- Blended families benefit from open discussions about estate plans while the parents are alive, helping family members understand decisions and reducing the likelihood of disputes during grief.
- Singles and married couples without children often face more complex estate planning decisions than those with traditional family structures, as they must thoughtfully determine beneficiaries beyond the typical spouse and children.
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:20 John Ray introduces the show and guest Loraine DiSalvo
02:26 Loraine DiSalvo discusses her background and how she became interested in tax and estate planning law
05:05 The importance of estate planning for successful business owners and the consequences of failing to plan
07:17 How well-drafted wills streamline Georgia’s probate process versus inadequate documents
08:23 Common estate planning issues for business owners
09:09 Estate tax planning strategies for business owners facing private equity sales
11:03 The critical importance of timing estate planning before accepting sale offers
12:02 How Loraine helps clients navigate complex estate planning decisions and options
14:07 Business succession planning when children are not interested in taking over
15:08 The consequences when business owners fail to plan for succession
17:15 Balancing estate distributions when one child is in the business and others are not
17:37 Estate planning complexities for blended families
20:58 The value of family discussions about estate plans to prevent post-death conflicts
22:29 Loraine’s role in educating clients and raising what-if questions
23:03 Common misconceptions about intestate succession for married couples
24:19 Why singles and childless couples often face complex estate planning decisions
26:15 Life events that should trigger a call to an estate planning attorney
28:21 The importance of periodic estate plan reviews as life circumstances change
30:02 Success stories, including helping families with disabled members maintain Medicaid benefits
32:37 Using Georgia’s year support law to protect surviving spouses from creditor claims
34:18 How to connect with Morgan & DiSalvo for a no-charge estate planning consultation
Loraine DiSalvo, Partner, Morgan & DiSalvo, P.C.
Loraine DiSalvo has been practicing law in Georgia since 1997. Loraine is a partner with Morgan & DiSalvo, P.C., the Alpharetta law firm dedicated to helping individuals and families plan and prepare for the many changes that life brings.
Loraine’s areas of concentration include estate planning, probate, estate administration, trust administration, tax planning, and charitable gift planning. She specializes in addressing the unique needs of blended and non-traditional families as well as same-sex couples.
Loraine is a member of the Stonewall Bar Association, the Georgia Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Atlanta Bar Association, the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, the Atlanta Estate Planning Council and the Estate Planning Council of North Georgia. She is a past Chair and past member of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Bar Association’s Estate Planning and Probate Section, a past member of the CLE Board of Trustees for the Atlanta Bar Association and a past member of the North Fulton Bar Association.
Loraine has almost completed her two-year term as President of the Estate Planning Council of North Georgia, which began in 2024. She previously served as their VP of Programs in 2022 and 2023. She also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Mortmain, which is published by the Estate Planning and Probate Section for its members. Loraine spent two consecutive years as President of the Professional Women’s Information Network (ProWIN), an organization that provides networking, educational, and charitable opportunities for entrepreneurial and professional women in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Prior to becoming President of ProWIN, she spent three years as Treasurer and one year as President-Elect. After her two years as President, followed by a year as Immediate Past President and another year as a Member-at-Large on the ProWIN Board of Directors, Loraine left the Board of Directors and served on ProWIN’s Advisory Board.
An Atlanta native, Loraine graduated cum laude from Georgia State University and earned her J.D. degree, with distinction, from Emory University. Loraine has one adopted daughter and two grandchildren. She lives in Sandy Springs with her husband, Anthony, and enjoys riding motorcycles and using her expertise as a trained auto mechanic to work on their multiple cars and bikes.
Morgan & DiSalvo, P.C.
Morgan & DiSalvo, P.C. is a boutique estate planning law firm based in Alpharetta, Georgia, focused on providing highly personalized guidance to individuals and families navigating wills, trusts, and broader estate and tax planning needs. The firm prioritizes clear, customized plans over generic documents, assisting clients in addressing issues like probate, estate and gift tax planning, trust administration, and elder and disability-related matters as life circumstances evolve.
Founded in 1995 and led by attorneys Richard Morgan and Loraine DiSalvo, the firm has developed a reputation for attentive client service, compassion, and technical depth in trusts and estates work, earning top-tier ratings from multiple legal rating services and recognition as a Tier 1 firm in Georgia for Trusts & Estates Law. With a small team of attorneys and paralegals, Morgan & DiSalvo positions itself as a long-term partner for North Metro Atlanta families, guiding them through planning, administration, and dispute resolution to protect legacies and minimize burdens on beneficiaries.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
Scott Phelan has over 20 years of financial advising and planning experience. As Executive Vice President/Wealth Management, Financial Advisor, his focus is helping build wealth for high net worth individuals and corporate clients. His core competencies include estate, retirement, insurance and income tax planning strategies. Scott has a long and distinguished career in the financial services industry having held leadership positions at Edward Jones, The Hartford, and New England Financial. Most recently, he was a Senior Vice President, Wealth Management, Financial Advisor/Senior Portfolio Management Director at Morgan Stanley. Scott began his career at the New England Financial Group where he developed and implemented employee 401(k) programs.
