ESTATE PLANNING
We’ve all heard the adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Nowhere is that insight more true than in the area of estate planning. Too many people wrongly assume that only the elderly need estate planning services. Everyone – young, older, single, married, with children, without children, having a simple estate or a complicated estate – needs to give thought to their future needs and to the needs of their survivors.
An estate plan is a road map for your future. A good estate plan will allow you to:
- Anticipate your own retirement needs, appoint a person to make your medical decisions in case you are unable to do so and plan your funeral arrangements.
- Provide for a spouse and appoint a guardian for your minor children should you become incapacitated or die.
- Help your small business transition smoothly to new ownership by designating a person to take charge in the event of your incapacity or death.
- Specify where you want your property to go after your death. Your property, also known as your Estate, includes real estate, bank and retirement accounts, stocks and bonds, life insurance policies and personal items such as motor vehicles and jewelry.
- Minimize expense and inconvenience by limiting court involvement, thus assuring that your survivors are cared for more quickly.
In my more than 35 years of practice, I have developed hundreds of estate plans, each one serving the unique needs of the client. I offer to each client a variety of planning options and, together, we formulate a customized estate plan. Estate planning services also include the revision of existing plans as well as the creation of new plans.