Estate planning encompasses much more than avoiding estate taxes upon death. We provide a wide range of services to help you meet your personal and financial goals: business planning, multigenerational wealth management and transfer, asset protection, retirement planning, charitable giving, payment of educational and medical expenses, tax minimization and ensuring physical/medical care.
Our typical plan uses a revocable trust as the primary dispositive document in order to avoid the expense of probate administration and to secure the privacy of our clients’ affairs.
Our complete estate plan includes documents that delegate authority to make financial and medical decisions while you are alive. A General Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney, under special circumstances, delegates authority to make financial decisions. A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Health Care Directive, under special circumstances, delegates authority to make health care decisions and also incorporates a living will.
Some circumstances may call for planning in addition to trusts or wills. Certain types of assets can be retitled to pass at death with a Transfer On Death or Pay On Death (TOD or POD) or other beneficiary designation. Such assets include life insurance, IRAs and other retirement benefits. Other assets can be held in joint accounts which pass to the survivor at death.