GENERAL PRINCIPALS OF ESTATE PLANNING

1. Estate planning is preparing for the future and the inevitable. It includes taking into account our social structure, which includes probate, the various legal requirements and the tax laws which bear upon it.
2. We begin by determining what is the client's status as: age, single, married, children, parents, little or lots of money, creditors, disabilities, farm or other real properties, business involvements and a host of other details. While a single person with no job and no assets may have no need for estate planning, the head of a family, who has children and other family relationships and a substantial estate may need to prepare an extensive estate plan. Keep in mind, however, that two people in identical circumstances would nevertheless, still require different estate plans because it is unlikely that their goals and desires would be the same.
3. To achieve your estate planning goals, you should prioritize your needs and desires and determine the extent of the funds available to achieve them. Your attorney should, with knowledge of the relevant tax aspects, draft these documents with your needs and desires as the guide post.
4. Finally, estate plans are not written in stone. They can and should be changed as various events impact upon a client's life such as: divorce, inheritance, medical concerns, etc.

ESTATE PLANNING EXAMPLES

FORMAT AND CONFERENCE PROCEDURE