Comprehensive Estate Planning
This area encompasses a broad range of services:
‣ Creating wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, and advanced health care directives (living wills) that accomplish your goals and that you will understand
‣ The efficient transfer of assets from you to your beneficiaries
‣ Setting up guardians for any minor children
‣ Protecting your beneficiaries and your legacy through the use of trusts and other methods
‣ Ensuring proper handling of your assets in the event of
disability
‣ Analyzing how both state and federal taxes will affect you and your beneficiaries and providing you with the most appropriate strategy
‣ Helping you make informed choices of executors, trustees, guardians, agents, and other fiduciaries
‣ Providing a cost-effective client maintenance program that allows you to make future changes to your estate plan and contact us with follow-up questions as they arise
Retirement Planning
As more wealth flows into retirement plans, proper planning with regard to your retirement accounts is crucial. The ramifications of improper or neglected beneficiary designations, for example, are often under-appreciated. Some designations can interfere with your intended beneficiaries receiving their share.
Others steal the opportunity to take advantage of stretching out payments from retirement accounts over time, resulting in a potentially heavier tax burden for your beneficiaries. If, like many people, you made designations long ago and your situation has now changed, we can help you make sure your intentions are honored.
Trusts are often crucial tools to maximize the choices a retirement account holder has and the ways in which the account holder can efficiently transfer the wealth accumulated in retirement accounts at the time of death. We can help you in establishing a trust that will work to achieve the results you seek.
Charitable Giving
Many of our clients would like to give back to charities of their choice. We can assist you in choosing ways in which to give to your favorite charities and enjoy any tax benefits associated with such gifts.