Estate Planning made manageable

A proper estate plan should give you piece of mind. It gives you confidence in knowing that the assets you have worked so hard to accumulate will be distributed to the persons you want to receive them and in the manner in which you want them to be received. Perhaps more importantly, a proper estate plan can ensure that your loved ones won’t be left cleaning up a mess when you are gone.

Many think of an estate plan as a way of avoiding costs, excess taxation, and court supervision. A proper estate plan can achieve that and so much more – it can provide terms for managing your affairs if you become incapacitated, for caring from minor children, for managing a family business, and a litany of other concerns.

Everyone needs an estate plan. Estate plans can consist of any of the following documents: Last Will and Testament documents; Revocable Living Trusts; Irrevocable Trusts; Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Lead Trusts; Asset Protection Trusts; limited liability entities; Power of Attorney Documents and Advance Health Care Directives; Assignments, Deeds, and other transfer documents; Leases and Co-Ownership Agreements; Life Insurance Policies; and Buy-Sell Agreements. Many complex estate plans will include all of the foregoing documents and require extensive coordination with your other professional advisors. The simplest estate plans can consist of an Advance Health Care Directive and a Power of Attorney – the bare minimum necessary to ensure that your desired agents will have authority to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.

The components necessary for your estate plan and type of documents you might need depend upon the character and value of your assets, your family dynamics and philosophies, and your estate planning goals. We look at all factors and recommend an estate plan that fits your needs. In most cases, we are able to quote a flat fee for preparing the recommended estate planning documents.