Estate Planning

A drafted, signed will forms the foundation of any estate plan. However, the titling of assets, recorded beneficiaries, and state regulations can direct how your legacy flows, regardless of what your will states. Not all heirs are ready for financial responsibility and some may always need a guardian—how are they being protected?

A solid estate plan can help you attain your estate planning goals and objectives. Just like a financial plan, an estate plan is personal and highly individualized. A Financial Plan guides you through planning for and living in retirement. An estate plan is a part of the Financial Plan in that it plans for others at a future point in time and guides your legacy. Those others may be your closest family, your children, or business associates.

Whether your total estate is large or small, estate planning can help you:

Preserve your assets
Manage money during your lifetime
Facilitate the administration of your affairs after your death.

Furthermore, a well prepared estate planning document can accomplish the following:

Ensure that assets are distributed to your heirs according to your wishes
Minimize estate taxes and court costs
Allow you to choose a trusted executor who knows your wishes, your family, and the contents of your estate
Allow you to nominate a guardian for your children.
Allow your business to continue after your death, with a successor of your choosing

How we can help?

Our team will work with you to review your estate planning needs, helping to ensure that your wealth is distributed as desired upon your passing. The past two decades have seen substantial changes in both state and federal estate tax law. We expect changes to continue, and we take pride in our efforts to guide clients back to their legal advisors when we see both risk and opportunity in new estate tax laws and rulings.

In addition, your estate plan is never finished and we will review it periodically with the help and guidance of your estate planning legal advisor.

Did you know that having a will is a great first step, but it may be legally insufficient?

Here are some of the basic building blocks of an estate plan:

A valid and up-to-date will.
A durable power of attorney.
A healthcare proxy that names an individual to make healthcare decisions for you when you’re unable. This might be your spouse, close relative, or friend.
Instructions to your executor regarding the disposition of assets to heirs and beneficiaries.
An inventory of your estate’s assets such as real estate, investments, personal belongings etc.