Estate planning is the process of anticipating and preparing for the disposition of an estate, and it requires specialized knowledge and experience. When seeking an estate planning attorney, individuals turn to Ashcraft Law Offices for our reputation for one-on-one, individualized attention.
In undertaking the development of your estate plan, we utilize various legal instruments, including Last Wills and Testaments, Trusts, Powers of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directives. We strive to maximize the value of our clients’ estates by reducing taxes and other expenses.
Why You Need an Estate Planning Lawyer
If you pass away without having prepared any of the foregoing estate instruments, you will be deemed to have died “intestate.” In general, dying intestate means that the State will statutorily dictate who will inherit your assets. That is, without proper estate planning, individuals who die without a will won’t have a say in how their estates are distributed. That means your estate will not be distributed according to your wishes but, rather, according to statutory provisions.
An estate plan can be simple or complex, depending on your assets, needs and desires. It is critical that your estate plan:
- Identifies and formalizes who will carry out your wishes, both during your lifetime and after your death;
- Ensures that you are able to maintain independence and control over all of your major life decisions, including financial, health-related or other personal issues;
- Minimizes the estate tax liability upon your death;
- Identifies guardianship of any minor children; and
- Ensures that your assets are distributed according to your wishes.
We will prepare the following instruments as part of a comprehensive estate plan:
- Last Will and Testament
- Appropriate Trust Planning
- Powers of Attorney for Healthcare and Financial Decisions
- Medical Directive to Physicians
Ashcraft Law Offices acknowledges that each and every one of our clients is unique. We will devote the requisite time to determine what estate plan is appropriate for you, and to ensure that your wishes are memorialized in a comprehensive plan. Contact us now to learn how we can help.
Our office provides individualized estate planning involving any of the following documents as needed:
- Revocable Living Trusts
- Wills
- Review of Existing Estate Plans
- Amendments to Trusts
- Codicils to Wills
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
- Irrevocable Trusts
- Various Grantor Retained Interest Trusts
- Special Needs Trusts
- Charitable Trusts
- Powers of Attorney
- Medical Directives
- HIPAAs
- Organ Donation Form
- Trust Funding
- Property Transfer Documents
- Assignments
- Community/Separate/Marital Property Agreements
- Pre-nuptial/Post-nuptial Agreements
- Trust Splits
- Other Misc. Estate Planning Documents