Estate Planning

We believe that estate planning should provide you and your family with peace of mind.

A thorough estate plan should include more than legal documents such as a Last Will and Testament. Your estate plan should address your quality of life and should also reflect your values. Depending on your needs, your plan may include: asset management, asset distribution, appointment of agents for financial matters or wishes, tax burden minimization, trust creation, living wills, healthcare proxies, and advanced business interest strategies.

An estate plan should not only provide for your heirs and families upon your death. An estate plan should also provide for you while you are enjoying your life. We can structure a plan based on your needs and desires that might include: reducing income taxes, providing for management of your assets, and planning for healthcare needs due to illness or disability. Your estate plan will often include wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills and health care proxies.

Your estate plan should include considerations for beneficiary designations and property ownership. Beneficiaries with disabilities and special needs can be provided for without jeopardizing any governmental benefits to which they might be entitled. Certain estate plans may call for more advanced tax savings strategies and utilize an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT), a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT), a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) or other split interest trusts, especially where there are estate tax, business succession or other unique circumstances. As tax, trusts and estates attorneys, we can create a thorough estate plan to minimize estate and income tax burdens for you and your beneficiaries.