Estate Planning Services
It's easy to get lost in mountains of legal paperwork. My objective is to simplify how your end-of-life matters will be managed and resolved, and to employ the documents needed to ensure your wishes are honored.
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While I work to create an appropriate estate plan for you, there are steps you can take to simplify matters for your family:
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Take inventory and make records of all of your property, belongings, bank accounts, retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and other assets.
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Where possible, including for retirement accounts and life insurance policies, name direct beneficiaries so that these assets go directly to your beneficiaries without having to go through probate or into a trust.
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Last Will & Testament
Designate how and to whom your assets will be distributed upon your death, and name the person who will be responsible for carrying out the will’s instructions. Entails probate, a legal process in court. Allows you to name a guardian for minor children and/or pets.
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Power of Attorney/Health Care Power of Attorney/Living Will
Name a person who can make financial, legal, and property decisions on your behalf during your lifetime if you become incapacitated and upon your death. Name a person who can make medical decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated, and designate what medical treatments you would and would not want to be used to keep you alive, such as pain management and artificially supplied nutrition and hydration.
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Revocable Living Trust
As with a will, designate how and to whom your assets will be distributed upon your death. Assets are transferred into and belong to the trust—a legal entity that holds assets, which are managed by a trustee, for you—and do not have to go through the probate process. Often reserved for larger estates.
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Ancillary Documents, such as Funeral Planning Declaration, Authorizations for Release of Electronic Information and Protected Health Information, and Real Estate Deeds
Designate matters such as burial or cremation, funeral home to be used, and ceremonial arrangements. Ensure your family has access to electronically stored information and protected health information. Transfer real property without having it mentioned in a will or added to a trust.