Estate Planning
Estate Plans
We will help you create an estate plan to assist you in managing your wealth while you're alive and ease the distribution after your death, minimizing any tax consequences to preserve your legacy. Generally an estate plan will consist of -
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a revocable living trust
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a pour-over will
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a durable power of attorney, and
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an advance health care directive
But each individual has unique needs for after they pass to take care of those they love. We strive to create an individualized plan that takes your needs and wishes into account using the many tools we have to craft an individualized approach in distributing the wealth you've taken a lifetime to accumulate.
An estate plan provides you the ability to make the decisions about who inherits, when your loved ones will inherit, and who will assist your family when you die.
Trusts:
Trusts are useful and often complicated legal tools that we often use in well-executed estate plans. Trusts allow more flexibility with regards to the distribution of your assets. For instance, setting up a trust may be a wise decision when planning for specific circumstances such as minor and special needs family members, second marriages, or asset protection for you, your spouse, or your children.
Wills:
We will help you to draft a Will that stipulates your specific desires regarding the division of your assets and the handling of your estate. This allows beneficiaries of your Will to avoid conflict and costly negotiations down the road, as well as insuring that your wishes are known and acted upon. We consider all circumstances when drafting your Will, including tax considerations and complicated beneficiary situations.
Durable Power of Attorney:
We will also help you legally designate who you wish to be the Power of Attorney for yourself or a family member for managing financial affairs. This document allows your chosen agent to act on your behalf for a wide variety of financial matters if you are unable to do so. A carefully drafted Power of Attorney will give you peace of mind, insuring you know that critical decisions regarding your well-being are always in good hands.
Advance Healthcare Directives:
An Advance Directive and/or a Health Care Power of Attorney is an important part of your estate plan. An Advance Directive is an important document that stipulates your end-of-life health care wishes, such as whether you want to continue living on artificial life support if you are at end of life. A properly drafted Advance Directive will take the weighty burden of these sensitive decisions, if ever necessary, off of your loved ones. A well-executed Health Care Power of Attorney is equally vital to insure that your loved ones are able to act as your advocate in health care situations.
Probate Administration:
Probate is the complicated - and sometimes costly - process of collecting and distributing the decedent's estate under state and local rules. We know this process can be a bit much after the loss of a loved one and can open up the representative/executor to personal liability. If probate cannot be avoided by a well-crafted estate plan, let a professional who knows the ins and outs of probate law handle probate administration in your time of grief.