ESTATE PLANNING
You’ve worked hard for all you have - your home, financial assets, and your personal possessions. Deciding the disposition of these items can be a complex process that is often made at a difficult time. Proper estate planning is essential in guaranteeing that your requirements for your assets are carried on in a manner of your choosing.
Taking care of these matters now will ensure your estate is executed according to your wishes and does not end up being decided in court. We can help you make certain your family is protected. We can even help with advance funeral arrangements, long-term care provisions and end-of-life arrangements. We will be with you in every step of the process. We are attorneys with the experience and knowledge to protect you and your family’s interests.
As a client, you will be treated with respect, kindness, and compassion. We strive to provide you with attentive and personalized service at every step in the legal process.
Law Eunoia Service stands ready to shepherd you through every aspect of your estate planning and administration, including:
Wills
Your last will and testament are vital to ensuring that your interests are accounted for, that you are providing properly for your family or loved ones, and that you are naming guardians whom you approve for your children. Additionally, we prepare separate guardianship proxies for the naming of guardians which can be used in a situation of disability.
Trusts
Trust instruments are used in estate planning for a number of different purposes. They can ensure that your assets are used in the way that you intend and distributed to those people that you choose. The right kind of trust can also help you reduce or eliminate your estate tax liability, or ensure that you or a loved one can use personal assets in a way that will not put government benefits at risk.
Other benefits of properly created and funded trusts can be to avoid probate, or to avoid the need for a conservatorship to be named to handle assets on behalf of a minor child. Trusts that are commonly used in various situations include family trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), special needs trusts, and revocable trusts, also known as living trusts. Your situation and your needs will dictate if any of these are appropriate to help you reach your goals.
Powers Of Attorney
A power of attorney allows for someone you trust to have access to your accounts and assets. The power of attorney provides the benefit of convenience in regular times, and provides protection for you and your assets in the situation of incapacity. A power of attorney can also serve to prevent the need for a court-appointed conservator to serve on your behalf in the case of incapacity.
Health Care Proxies
A health care proxy allows you to appoint someone to make medical decisions on your behalf only when you are unable to do so. Having a health care proxy in place allows you the choice not only of the individual to make decisions for you, but also works to prevent the court process involved in having a guardianship set up on your behalf in the situation of incapacity.
Living Wills / Deeds
Living wills describe to your health care agent, doctors, and nurses what you would like to happen in cases involving difficult medical situations. Having your wishes known can serve as a great comfort to you and those charged with making medical decisions on your behalf.
Beneficiary Designations
One important part of estate planning that should not be overlooked is a comprehensive review of your assets and using all tools available, including beneficiary designations, to ensure that your plan will be carried out in the simplest way possible.