Estate Planning
Estate planning is an opportunity. It is an opportunity to organize and maximize your assets during your life, and it is an opportunity to ensure that your assets are efficiently and smartly managed if you become incapacitated or die.
Estate planning is also a gift to your family and loved ones. By getting organized and providing for the prudent management of your property in the event of your incapacity, or thoughtful distribution of your property in the event of your death, you can help to make your family’s transition through a very difficult time as smooth as possible.
My law practice focuses on planning for these difficult events. I help clients determine the best way to plan for their own well-being, and for the well-being of the people in their lives. Whether your situation requires a relatively simple plan to provide for minor children, complex planning to handle a variety of substantial assets, or customized planning for special situations, I am committed to understanding your concerns, educating you about your options, and completing a plan that gives you comfort that you and your loved ones will be taken care of in the future.
Some of the estate planning documents that I prepare for individuals and families to achieve their goals include:
-Wills -Designation of Health Care Surrogate
-Trusts -Living Wills
-Durable Powers of Attorney -Pre-need Guardian Designations
If you have a financial advisor, accountant, insurance agent, or other professional advisors, I will gladly work with them to make sure your overall estate plan makes sense for you.
In addition, a crucial part of estate planning that is sometimes overlooked after the documents are signed is to make sure that any trusts are properly funded, and that assets are properly titled and aligned so that your plan works as intended. Therefore, an equally important service that I provide includes assisting you to get your assets aligned with your estate plan. This includes changing the ownership or title of assets when appropriate, and confirming that beneficiary designations on life insurance, IRA’s, 401k’s, and other retirement plans and accounts are consistent with your overall estate plan.
I provide estate planning services on a “fixed fee” basis. After an initial, “no charge” meeting where I learn about your situation and goals, I will prepare a proposal that includes a fixed fee. Therefore, before any obligation arises on your part, you will know what services and documents you will receive, when your estate planning project will be completed, and how much it will cost.