ST. LOUIS – Edward Tjaden retired from the military after a leg injury left him wheelchair-bound, now he seeks to aid families and veterans alike to ensure their bases are covered. As an estate planning lawyer who graduated magna cum laude from Washington University’s School of Law in St. Louis, Ed has a unique perspective on life.
“My goal is to give every veteran and every person that comes to see me peace of mind about their future so that there’s one less thing on their plate,” said Ed.
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Ed was drawn to estate planning because of the parallels it shared with the military, “Estate planning and the military are both very goal-oriented. I truly enjoy sitting down with my clients to determine their financial and retirement goals and finding ways to achieve them.”
Estate planning involves many moving parts such as establishing wills, deciding who will oversee your finances, what assets do you have, and how you can protect those assets. It is difficult to explain it in layman’s terms, but the idea is that an estate planning lawyer will help ensure things go smoothly with your family in case something happens to you.
The job of an estate planning lawyer might seem like something that can be overlooked until you need one, but Ed ensures that it is a process worth talking about sooner rather than later.
“Since becoming an estate planning attorney, I’ve realized many people don’t fully understand the benefits and retirement aspects of the military. Many people retire from military service around 40 years old, which is just the beginning of their journey back in the real world,” Ed says.
When talking with Ed it became apparent that his goal has always been to give back. One thing he has noticed is the empathetic nature instilled in veterans. “They have a big habit of looking out for other people and it’s nice to know someone is looking out for them too.”
The Lewis Rice Law firm provides a diagram so clients can clearly understand how things are handled. If you’ve seen families getting in a bitter feud over a person’s will in film or television, then you can imagine it’s nice to have these things laid out clearly.
