Estate Planning & Administration

Many individuals and families do not have any estate plans for one reason or another. However, every family SHOULD have one of their own or else the state and the IRS will create one for you which will be contradictory to your wishes. We take the holistic approach when doing estate planning because we take into consideration the long term care needs of individuals.

Our planning services include:
- Last Wills and Testaments
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Powers of Attorney
- Health Care Directives
- HIPAA Authorizations
- Irrevocable Trusts
- Pet Trusts
- Life Insurance Trusts
- Family Limited Partnerships
- Gifting Programs
- Retirement Trusts
- Minors’ Trusts
- Generation—skipping Trusts
- Tax Planning
ASSET PROTECTION is a valid concern by many of our clients. They do not want their lifetime savings to go to predators and/or creditors or even sometimes family members. Some situations where this may be pertinent includes remarriage of a spouse after the client’s death, an irresponsible child/grandchild, issues with in-laws, and potential lawsuits and liabilities involving heirs.
TRUSTS are powerful tools available to protect and preserve assets, including the Revocable Living Trust. These trusts offers complete control of your assets during your lifetime, provides for you in the event of incapacity, and allows you to pass your assets to whomever and whenever you choose.
GUARDIANSHIPS AND CONSERVATORSHIPS are legal processes when a person is deemed incapable of managing his/her own affairs. The court will appoint another adult to maintain your assets and income. With planning, we can possibly avoid this intervention and have someone of your choosing looking after you and your assets.
PROBATE AND TRUST ADMINISTRATION can be a difficult and stressful process during a time of grieving. We can help guide you and your family through the legal maze by:
- Helping you select the best proper representative
- Preparation and filing of all probate court documents
- Representation in probate and civil court proceedings
- Defense against challenges to your will or trust
- Postmortem planning
- Review of all federal and estate tax returns, as well as all federal and state fiduciary income tax returns