Valley Estate & Elder Law

Holistic estate planning and asset protection.

Owner

U.S. House of Representatives

Intern

I help families and small businesses plan for the future by crafting a life and estate plan. 

Together, we’ll plan for what we know will happen (death) as well as what might happen. We’ll plan to protect assets from creditors, predators, and spenders.  We’ll maximize family harmony.

I also help individuals and families with the buying and selling of real estate as well as adoptions.

Follow me on TikTok @alabamalawyerzach



Zach Anderson

Northwestern Mutual

Helping you live life intentionally and using tools that allow you to pay less tax, protect your family, and be confident in your future.

Financial Advisor

Philly Frassati

Providing adventures and parties that draw young adults  closer to God. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/phillyfrassati?

Co-Founder

Cristo Rey Consulting

Helping small catholic non-profits succeed with the resources they have

Founder, Non-profit consultant

Ziegs Landscaping

Generated annualized returns of $240k
Sold

Co-Owner, Manager

Christian Family’s Financial Guide 🙏 Read my bio and see how… Be Radically Intentional 👊 Accepting new clients: generous families/businesses

🔷When I gave my life to Christ everything changed. 🔷

I knew my life needed to be oriented towards Him.

Not just on Sundays-everyday and in each area of my life. 

Including finances, family, work… everything.

Now, I help families realign their finances. 
Making heaven and impact the goal. Not just wealth.

🔹 Why families hire me? 🔹 

- They want peace of mind with their money 
- They want someone w shared values and goals
- They want to leave a lasting legacy more than money
- They want an answer tailored to them, not from Google 
- They built up a financial junk drawer and need a plan
- They want a clear plan that's easy to understand 
- They want someone to hold them accountable 
- They want someone they can trust

🔹 How we help 🔹 

I help Christian families define their family vision, organize their financial junk drawer, and realign their resources towards their mission through:  

💵 Cash Flow Management  
👼 Planned giving strategy 
🏡 Real Estate Planning 
📊 Investment Planning 
📍 Retirement Planning 
🛡 Insurance Planning 
📚 Education Planning 
🙏Legacy Planning
📃 Estate Planning
💲 Tax efficiency

🔹 What meeting is like 🔹

Financial planning shouldn’t feel like an interrogation. 
It should feel like a family dinner. 

 A place where:
 
- We learn 
- We get to the heart 
- We have open dialogue 
- We act with confidence and accountability


If you're a Christian family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 looking to realign your finances send me a message.

Your family is too important to wait.

I'm here when you're ready.
But until then, you're in my prayers.

God Bless you,

Jack 🙏

Jack Ziegler III

Twins receive $800K inheritance at 48.
One quits $190K job. 
Starts “passion project.”

Buys lake house for $425K. 
Takes big family trip they dreamed of $25k.
Lifestyle inflation everywhere.

No budget. No plan. Just “freedom.”

Age 55: Consulting income: $60K. Inheritance: $250K left.

Age 58: Sells lake house at loss.
Age 62: Back to corporate. Starting over.
Age 68: Still working. Can’t afford not to.

The other twin does it different.

$800K inheritance at 48.
Keeps his $150k job. 
Invests 80% immediately.
Gives $150k: church building fund.
Goes on $10k family trip. 

Lives on salary. 
Pretends inheritance doesn’t exist.
Age 55: Inheritance grown to $1.2M. Untouched.

Age 60: Retires. 
Endows seminary scholarship for $500K.

Age 70: Grandkids’ college funded. Legacy secured.

One honored God. One honored comfort.
Windfalls don’t reveal character.
They expose what was already there.

Who are you serving when nobody’s watching your bank account?

Windfalls come in many forms. 
They won’t change your habits and attitudes. 

Build them in yourself. 
Instill them in your children.

Jack Ziegler III, CFP®

Christian Families CFP® Accomplish Radically Intentional Goals Generous families 35-55 See my Featured Section for Resources 👇 Read my bio to see if we're a fit.

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4 years ago: Success meant bigger house 
3 years ago: Success meant bigger portfolio 
2 years ago: Success meant bigger business 

Then God flipped the script. 

Through cancer. 
Through our marriage.
Through becoming a dad. 


He molded and shaped my heart 
to be more aligned to His Will, not mine

Now success means: 

- Living a radically intentional life 
- Drawing closer to Jesus Daily
- Leading my family boldly 
- Bigger generosity goals 

The numbers still matter. 
But they're not THE matter. 

Slowly as I was planning and planning
House, status, business, money
became my main goals…

I had to get cancer to flip it around.
You don’t have to.  

You can re-prioritize your life TODAY!


Just say yes to His plan. 
Even if it looks different than you imagined. 

Here to help when you're ready.

God bless you, 

Jack 🙏

The classic midlife crisis:

- Buying a fancy car
- Cheating on your spouse
- Over drinking and over eating
- Invest in random risky start up

What if Instead: 

- Shifting focus from wealth to impact
- Re-Falling in love with your spouse + family 
- Seeing your health as an asset
- Taking your faith seriously


With this shift comes an opportunity.

You have the skills, connections, 
and resources to change the world. 

Most people waste the opportunity.
But you can change the world.
You’re made for greatness. 
Be radically intentional.
Make it count. 

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

Three kids: 22, 19, 16. $340K income.
Oldest needs rent help. “Just for a year.” Year three: still paying $1,800/m.

Middle child moves home. Car breaks. Cosign loan. $520/month. They cover it.

Youngest wants out-of-state college. 
$62K/year. “We can’t say no.”

Age 52: Supporting all three. $4,200/m total. Retirement stopped.
Age 65: Can’t retire. 
Age 78: Retired now need LTC and asking kids for financial help. Kids don’t have it. Didn’t learn to save. 

Try this instead…

1 - Match what they save.
2 - Charge small rent, increase each yr and save for their down pmt. 
3 - Give specific college budget. Explain real costs and alternatives.
4 - Match their giving.

I get the temptation but honestly it does way more harm then good. 

You can and should still bless your kids.
Just please prioritize the wisdom with it. 
Model in your finances and do it intentionally. 

Love doesn’t mean funding everything.

Your kids don’t need your money forever. They need your wisdom now.

I used to think tithing was about the church’s budget. I was dead wrong.

It’s about your heart’s freedom.

This year, I’ve watched clients wrestle with their giving ($40K their tithe on $400K income).

“Jack, that’s a nice car. That’s a family vacation. That’s… a lot.”

I get it. I’ve been there.

But here’s what I’ve learned after working with 200+ families:

The families who give generously are always the most at peace with money.

Not because they have more.
Because money has less of them.

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

This is something I discovered during a mission trip to Haiti.

I watched kids play joyfully with sticks and stones.

I saw families grateful for rice and beans.

I met believers who gave sacrificially from their poverty.

I came home ashamed of my hesitation to give from my abundance.

Now the goal is to increase giving annually.

Here’s the paradox:

-> The more you give, the more you receive.
-> Not always financially.
-> But always spiritually.

Peace. Joy. Purpose. Freedom.

The families who hold their wealth with open hands sleep the best.

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” (1 Timothy 6:18)

Your generosity isn’t just changing the world.

It’s changing you.

What step toward greater generosity is God calling you to take?

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

♻️ Share to inspire others toward joyful generosity.
🔔 Follow for more faith-centered financial wisdom.

I wasted 3 years afraid to build wealth.
Terrified I’d become the rich man.
The one Jesus said couldn’t enter heaven.

So I kept my business small and subconsciously sabotaged any major progress. 

I made assumptions about successful people’s character and prayer lives.

Convinced poverty made me more holy,
I’d feel guilty every time revenue jumped.

Meanwhile:

	•	My giving was capped
	•	My goals dwarfed by fear
	•	My talents squandered and hidden

Then I onboarded my first 5-figure client.
And the guilt hit HARD.

Even though I could see the incredible impact and their gratitude for the work…

I was overcome w questions of guilt.

“Am I becoming that rich man?”
“Will money corrupt my faith?”

But here’s what I finally understood:

The rich man’s problem wasn’t his wealth.
It was his ATTACHMENT to it.

Jesus wasn’t condemning resources.
He was exposing idolatry.

The question isn’t: “Am I building wealth?”
It’s: “Who am I building FOR?”

I know our mission. 
To be the light of Christ in families financial lives. 

Now when I land a big client, I still feel it.
That flicker of fear.

But I remember:

- Business growth means more families helped
- Means bigger impact for the church
- Greater giving in the community

Let my journey be a warning. 

Stop letting fear steal your best years.
Stop confusing poverty with piety.

If you have the ability to…

Build boldly. Give generously.
Trust completely.

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

P.S. In business there’s a powerful theme:

We are often paid in direct correlation to the amount of value we are adding ‼️

If I want to add massive value and transformational growth, that will come with business growth.

Sometimes God asks us to do big things.

But most times he asks us to be faithful in the little things.

I think about this when I look at my family.

A mostly ordinary life sprinkled with some extraordinary moments.

Decades of faithfulness,
Marked by extraordinary love.

______

My dad worked hard providing for decades. 

—> Fought harder to teach us to be present at home, generous, humble. 

My mom worked hard raising 6 crazy boys
A mostly thankless job.

—> Fought harder to teach us how to love, to pray, to serve.

_______

Leading my family now, I know the daily moments where I choose patience, choose love, choose sacrifice, choose Jesus.

Those moments compound over decades.

And just like my parents have quietly built a legacy of love with 6 soldiers changing the world….

We will continue that. 
And build upon it.

What legacy are you building?

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

Don’t pray for your kids to be successful.
Pray for them to be faithful.

Don’t pray for your life to be easy.
Pray that it’s meaningful.

Don’t pray for your kids to be happy.
Pray for them to be holy.

Don’t pray for financial security.
Pray for radical generosity.

Don’t pray for your business to be profitable.
Pray for it to be impactful.

Don’t pray to build wealth.
Pray to build the kingdom.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you”

Parents are 71 and 68 living off $7.5k/m
“They’ll be fine. Dad has a pension.”
4 yrs later Mom falls. Needs care. 

$7.2k/m. Dad’s pension: $3.8k/m
$400k invested. New spend $13.5k/m.

3 yrs later: Care increased. Savings drained. Sold home. Mom passed. Dad, living with kids.

Next yr. Dad needs memory care. $6k/m.
You’re the main caregiver. Marriage strained.
Your retirement drained. Siblings barely help.

OR ‼️

Parents are 71 and 68. 
“We need to talk about the future.”
Family meeting. Siblings involved. 
Long-term care insurance: $7.8k/yr.
Estate plan reviewed. 

Hard conversations now. Not in crisis.
Mom declines. Insurance covers most.
They keep the house. Savings stay intact. 

Parents pass peacefully. 
Family home stays in the family.
$400k inheritance split. Marriages intact.

You retire on time. 
Parents get care and stay Mom and Dad. 
Grandma and Grandpa. Not patient.

Avoiding the conversation doesn’t avoid the cost. It multiplies it.

Finances are generational. Let’s plan like it.

It’s official. I hate the DMV.

In order to get a real ID you need:

1. Social Security card
2. your birth certificate
3. your marriage license
4. the deed to your home
5. A tax return
6. Passport
7. your old license
8. Your W-2 w/ full SSN on it 

In order to have a tax return or a W-2, you need a Social Security number.

In order to have a passport, you need a drivers license, Social Security number and a birth certificate.

In order to have a drivers license, you need a Social Security number and proof of residence.

In order to buy a home with a mortgage, you need a Social Security number, a drivers license, a tax return, and your W-2.

If you’re missing anyone of the above, you can’t get a real ID. 

If you’re missing any one of the above, you can’t get the above.

I get the need to avoid fraud and identity theft, but at this point, I’m convinced it’s easier to commit identity fraud than it is to get a real ID.

OK, rant over… guess who did NOT get a real ID today.

If the goal is as much wealth as possible.
If the goal is tax savings at any cost.
If the goal is rate of return. 

I promise. I’m not the right advisor.

If the goal is heaven.
If the goal is generosity and impact.
If the goal is more family time and legacy.

I promise. I’m the right advisor.

I want spouses closer. 
Children blessed abundantly.
Churches growing and transformed.

As a result of our financial planning. 

Yes, of course we still grow wealth, save people taxes, and have competitive returns.

No one hires me for that alone. 

I regularly give advice that results in less wealth but more purpose and intentionality.

I aim to give families permission to spend, give, retire. Because it’s not all about saving.

If that’s what you’re after, 
send me a message.

He has $2.3M in company stock options.
$1.8M in gains if he sells today.
Tax bill to diversify: $450k.
So he holds it all.

“Not paying that tax.”
Meanwhile 87% of his net worth and 100% of his income is one company.

If the stock tanks, everything tanks.
If he gets laid off, income AND wealth disappear.

Paralyzed by the tax bill.


Here’s what he could do…
(Bare with me this is cool)

Strategies he’d never heard of:

	1.	Moved $800k into an exchange fund. (Diversified without triggering taxes, deferred 7+ years)
	2.	Donated $500k of appreciated stock to Donor Advised Fund. (Zero capital gains, $125k income tax rededuction, funds giving for 10 years)
	3.	Sold $400k using direct indexing with tax-loss harvesting. (Captured $90k in losses, offset gains to $40k tax bill)
	4.	Kept $600k in company stock. (Still has upside exposure)


The math: Would have paid ~$400k to diversify everything.

Actually saved $85k instead.

Net result: $85k tax benefit while diversifying 75% of holdings.

Company stock drops 35%? 
Doesn’t crush his goals.

His net worth dropped only 8%.
Meanwhile the guy who “didn’t want to pay taxes”?

Lost $800k when the stock crashed.

“Not wanting to pay taxes” cost him 10x more than the taxes would have.

Concentration builds wealth.
Diversification protects it.

How much are you risking by holding everything in one stock?

I want my sons to see their Dad:

1. Devoted to Christ
2. Generous in all things
3. Be in love with his wife
4. Make sacrifices for his family
5. Serve w/o expecting anything in return
6. Build a business devoted to Christ
7. Prudent in managing our finances
8. Share the mission of our family
9. Invite them to be a part of it
10. Empower them to live it

What do you want your kids to see?

God bless you,

Jack🙏

Many Christian’s think they have to be poor to be holy. 

It’s a crippling mindset that leads to…

- Fear controling financial decisions
- Scarcity around the opportunities around you
- Ignoring finances silently hurting your family
- Tracking every dollar leading to money fights
- Judging others and fostering jealousy


Instead see money as a tool and experience:


- An abundance of love driving decisions
- Leveraging dollars for greater impact 
- Detachment from money and Attachment to God
- Intentional living aimed at Gods plan for your life
- Peace in a long term plan and surrender to God

_____________


Here’s how we switch from fear to intention:

1. Plan Prudently
2. Give Generously
3. Pray for Wisdom
4. Practice Gratitude
5. Align Spending with Values
6. Surrender the outcomes to God

There’s freedom from money stress.

I’d start with #6 and work your way up.

God bless you,

Jack 🙏

He’s 42 making $450k.
Paying 37% tax on top dollars.
His advisor told him to max his Roth 401k.

But a $23.5k deduction saves him ~$8700 in taxes annually.

Tax free sounds smart until you see what happens next.

At 55 he retires early.
Income drops to $60k from rentals.
Tax bracket: 12%.

Watch this…

Now he converts $100k/year from 401k to Roth.
Pays 12% tax instead of the 37% he saved.

Over 15 yrs: 
Converts $1.5M at 12% = $180k total tax. 
As opposed to $555k at current rate.

At 70.5 he starts QCDs from the pre-tax money.

$70k/yr 15 yrs to church, tax-free.

The math: Deducted at 37%, converted at 12%, gave at 0%.

25% tax arbitrage on $1.5M = $375k saved.
37% arbitrage on $1M giving = $370k saved. 

Most people stop at “max your 401k.”

The real strategy is deduct high, convert low, give tax-free.

Are you just maxing 401k or playing the long game?

A couple near us has $1.2M saved for retirement at 62.

They followed all the rules - maxed 401k for 20 + years, lived below their means, bought index funds, paid off mortgage.

If they use the “safe” 4% withdrawal rule that’s $48k/year to live on.

But here’s what $48k actually covers in 2025: 

Health insurance $20k/yr. 
All other insurance: $7k/yr
Property taxes $6k/yr. 
Utilities $7k/yr.
Phone/ internet: $3k

That’s $43k gone before groceries, gas, or anything fun.

Social security will help. 
But that’s set to be cut by 20% in 2032.

The 4% rule was built for 2% inflation and $300/month health insurance.

Today inflation is running 4-6% and health insurance for early retirees is off the charts.

This is why people with “enough” money still can’t afford to retire.

The math that worked for previous generations is broken. 

A million dollars isn’t what it used to be.

And not all $1M is created equal. 

What do you think? 💭

$280K household income.
Three kids. Ages 14, 12, 9.

“We’ll figure out college when we get there.”

Age 47: Zero in 529 plans. Market’s up. They’ll start next year.

Age 48: Market correction. “Bad timing. We’ll catch up.”

Age 50: Eldest applies to schools. Sticker shock: $55K/year.

Age 51: First tuition bill. Home equity line. $45k borrowed.

Age 52: Second kid enrolls. Another $90K on credit.

Age 54: Third kid starts. 
Total borrowed: $380K.

Age 58: Still paying. Kids graduated. 
$450k total parent debt. 
Parents’ retirement delayed 10 yrs.

Age 70: Finally retire. Student Debt paid off. 

… one small habit 10 yrs earlier makes a massive difference. 

5% of income or $1k/m starting when youngest was born. 

Allow kids to take $5k/yr in loans for responsibility. 

Now you still retire at 60. 
Kids go to same schools.
Kids get the same jobs. 

Could retire at 65 and help kids with first home.

Legacy isn’t all about college ed. 
Those days are over.

Imagine retiring early to be with your grandkids so your daughter can work part time earning $50k/yr and not pay for childcare.

You’ve added to your kids household $80k/yr in value from saved costs and added income.

That $80k allows her to fully stop working in 4 yrs from sped up retirement and kids savings.

Maxing 401k for 4 yrs ages 28-32 = 
Extra $600k in assets by retirement. 

$30k/yr for 4 yrs = 
Extra $450k for kids future college. 

Buys 4 yrs of her husbands income growth. 

One income, big family, owning a home, giving charitably feels impossible for many.

4 yrs of grandparent support can make all the difference. 

The generational impact is astounding.

The good life is simple:

1. Love God with all your heart
2. Love your neighbor as yourself

Even when I add more it’s still simple:

1. Give generously
2. Get married
3. Be present with your kids
4. Spend less than you make
5. Invest in your healing and growth 
6. Eat well
7. Exercise

None of this is easy.
But it is simple.

And we live in a world that has trillion dollar industries built to help you live out each one of those.

And a God who wants your good so badly he sent his only son to die for you. 

His grace is real. 
The tools are out there.

When life feels off… examine the above list. 
See how you’re living them out. 

Pick 2-3 and take one step to improve them. 

I think you’ll notice that it’s really a wonderful life.

Couple finished med school 2012. 
$310K joint student loans.
$450k household income. 
Landed attending jobs. 

“We sacrificed enough. Time to live.”

2019, Age 33: Buy $1.4M house. 
$10k/m mortgage.

Two German SUVs. $2.5k/m combined.
Country club. Boats. Vacations. $5k/m

“We earned it.”

Start having kids. Childcare $3k/m.

Student loans? 
Minimum payments. 25-year plan. 
Still $2k/m

Pay check to pay check after modest 401k contributions. 

2026 Age 40: Loans still at $265K. House equity: $380K. New income $625k

Here’s the chance to make it right…

You can:

Upgrade to $2M home. 
Stay pay check to paycheck.

OR! 

Keep lifestyle the same. 
Begin saving and giving the new ~$100k/yr

One leads to $2M at 60 but can’t retire because of 30k/m lifestyle.

The other leads to $2.5M and debt free by 50 can retire in 5 yrs w/ $4.5M on $20k/m debt free. 

This is how you make or break wealthy vs rich.

You have the ability to turn rich and broke to blessed and wealthy by a couple of small choices. 

How will you steward it?

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Zach Anderson

Jack Ziegler III

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