Estate Planning
It is never too late to plan!
What is estate planning?
If something were to happen to you or someone you love, do you have a plan in place? If the answer to either question is no or if you haven’t looked at your estate plan since the day you signed it 15 years ago, now is the time to discuss your options with an experienced estate planning attorney. At Rossman, P.C. we are prepared to help you navigate the complexities of estate planning during this time when proper planning is of utmost importance.
THE GOOD NEWS? WE CAN HELP!
At Rossman, P.C. we are focused on guiding our clients through this difficult time and are here to answer all of your estate planning questions. We offer phone consultations as well as video conferencing to accommodate signing appointments, especially during this time when social distancing is the norm. It is not too late to implement an estate plan, but it is important to work with an experienced estate planning attorney to ensure that your plan not only anticipates what happens if you become sick or when you pass away, but also what happens if you need long-term care or if you own a business and want to ensure you have implemented a comprehensive succession plan.
Getting Started
Accounting for your family’s needs
Rossman, P.C. handles all assets of estate planning and probate matters. Our estates and probate group is focused on ensuring that our client’s wishes are effectively communicated both during our client’s lifetime and after their passing. We specialize in planning for high net-worth individuals, while also servicing clients of all wealth levels and have crafted plans to meet the needs of any potential client.
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the types of estate planning and probate matters that the firm handles:
- Wills
- Trusts
- Trust Administration
- Estate Administration
- Special Needs Planning
- Elder Law and Medicaid Planning
- Settlement Planning
- Guardianships and Conservatorships
- Pet trusts
What happens if I cannot manage my affairs?
If there is an emergency and you cannot act on your own behalf, someone must be given legal authority to do so. If this is not done through an estate plan, your family will be forced to petition the local probate court for authority, which is inevitably more costly and time-consuming. It is therefore essential that if you are over the age of 18, you have both a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Affairs as well as a Medical Power of Attorney in place.
What is a Medical Power of Attorney?
A Medical Power of Attorney is another essential document to have in place in every estate plan. This document communicates to the doctors and/or hospital staff whom you have designated as your Patient Advocate to act on your behalf to make medical decisions as well as receive medical information. This document is especially essential if you are physically or mentally unable to communicate with doctors regarding your medical treatment.
I have a plan in place. What should I be looking for?
If you previously set up a Last Will and Testament or a Revocable Living Trust, does your plan adequately reflect your wishes? These are the things you should review:
- Is your personal representative or successor trustee willing and able to serve?
- Have any of your fiduciaries (Personal Representative, Trustee, Financial Agent, Patient Advocate) passed away? If so, were alternates appointed?
- Are the individuals you appointed to serve as your personal representative or your successor trustee still the best individuals to act on your behalf?
- Have you correctly identified the beneficiaries on your retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and bank accounts?
- Are all your currently named beneficiaries still living? (If a beneficiary passes away prior to your account being distributed, that beneficiary’s share will pass through their probate estate)
- Is the beneficiary financially responsible? Would the receipt of an outright distribution of their inheritance spell disaster? Would delaying distribution to a later age or retaining the beneficiary’s share in a lifetime trust help protect that beneficiary?
- Have you transferred all your assets into your trust correctly or at all?
What is a Durable Power of Attorney for financial affairs?
A Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Affairs is an essential document in every estate plan. This document allows the person you designate as your agent to make financial decisions on your behalf. This allows that individual to manage your financial affairs in the event you are not able to do so.
I do not have a plan. What should I be thinking about prior to contacting an Estate Planning Attorney?
If you have not done any planning, you should seriously consider contacting an estate planning attorney to establish a plan. The following are questions that are important to consider when working with an attorney to establish your estate plan:
- Who should manage your financial affairs if you are sick?
- Who will assist with medical decisions if you are unable to do so?
- Who will manage your estate if you pass away?
- Who will inherit your estate if you have no plan?
- Is privacy important to you?
- Are your heirs mature enough to receive a large inheritance in one lump sum? Or would they benefit from the protection of a more long-term approach?
- Are any of your heirs currently receiving public benefits such as SSI and Medicaid? If so, a special needs trust should be created to ensure they do not lose their benefits
- Is avoiding probate important to you?
- Who will care for your children if you pass away while they are young?
- Who will run your business when you are no longer able to do so?
LIVE CONFIDENTLY
We have substantial experience in the establishment, implementation, and administration of simple to complicated estate plans. The team has been handling estate planning and probate matters for over 10 years and uses its expertise to craft plans tailored to the client’s unique needs.