Estate Planning
Have a question about estate planning?
Regardless of your level of wealth, the failure to establish an estate plan can be detrimental to your family. A properly structured estate plan helps ensure that your family and financial goals are addressed during your life, if incapacitated, and after your death. Unfortunately, most Americans don't have an estate plan.
Why Estate Planning is So Important
Having a comprehensive estate plan in place can help you feel more confident about the future and that your loved ones will be taken care of. It can help you achieve a variety of goals and objectives including:
- Providing support and financial stability for your spouse.
- Preserving assets for future generations.
- Supporting a favorite charity or other worthy cause.
- Ensuring that all of your assets, including those that pass by beneficiary designation (e.g., retirement accounts and life insurance policies), will be distributed according to your wishes.
- Minimizing taxes and expenses. Insuring that individuals you choose can make decisions on your behalf in the event of your incapacity.
What Are Your Goals?
Here are some questions you should ask yourself to help define your estate planning goals and objectives.
- Are you concerned about whether you're heirs have the ability to manage or protect your wealth?
- Do any of your family members have special needs?
- Whom do you want to leave your financial assets to?
- Are there specific assets you'd like to give to specific individuals
- Are you concerned about trying to protect assets from a divorced spouse or a beneficiary's future creditors?
- If your beneficiaries are different ages, are you concerned about the timing of distributions to them (e.g., second marriage situations, beneficiaries of varying generations)?
- Do any potential beneficiaries have specific needs that you'd like to meet?
- Do you need succession planning for a family business or estate equalization for non-active children?
Essential Documents
The following planning document should be considered regardless of whether an individual is married or single.
- Last will and testament
- Revocable living trust
- Durable general power of attorney
- Healthcare power of attorney
- Living will/advance directive
Estate Planning Attorneys
We will work collaboratively with you and your existing estate planning attorney or recommend local credentialed estate planning attorneys to finalize your estate plan using the strategies we provide. We don't receive compensation for referring you to any attorney and their law firms are not associated directly or indirectly with us. Our goal is to ensure your wealth continues on through generations based on your goals and efficiently as possible.
