Estate Planning & Administration
Estate Planning
Having a well-planned estate will give you peace of mind in knowing that you have prepared, coordinated, and arranged your personal and financial affairs during your lifetime. Every person has different goals and estate planning needs. We work with you to understand your intentions and then craft customized solutions. Our Estate Planning process starts by gathering essential information. We then learn about your family situation and assets and recommend an estate framework that meets your current objectives and life situations. A common estate framework may include a will, durable power of attorney, health care proxy, HIPAA Release, and advanced directive, or it may also include a trust and other documents depending on each client’s assets and goals.
Durable Power Of Attorney
Your estate planning should include lifetime incapacity documents. We strongly recommend our clients have a durable power of attorney and health care proxy. We design these documents to help you avoid the hassle, delay, conflict, and expense of lifetime probate court proceedings if a person becomes physically or mentally incapacitated. If you are unable to handle your financial matters, a durable power of attorney allows you to name one or more persons to handle your financial matters for you. If you become sick or injured a durable power of attorney allows you to avoid having a probate court appointing a conservator to handle your financial matters. You may want a durable power of attorney that is effective upon execution or one that only takes effect upon an official declaration of your incapacity. A person may choose a trusted family member, friend, or professional advisor.
Health Care Proxy
While a durable power of attorney allows you to appoint a person to manage your financial affairs, a health care proxy allows you to appoint a health care agent to communicate your wishes about your health and care when you are unable to so. If you are unable to communicate your wishes, a health care proxy is a document that names your health care agent to communicate your wishes for you. The health care proxy is a very personal document and, as such, a person most people choose a trusted family member as their health care agent.
Having well planned incapacity documents in place, allows you to control your medical decisions and financial matters while avoiding costly and potentially high conflict court proceedings.
