Trust and Estate Planning

It is a misconception to think that only those with extraordinary wealth require an “estate plan” or would benefit from a trust.  Believe it or not, most everyone has an estate.   Your estate consists of your home or other real estate, cars, financial accounts, investments, personal items, and life insurance–just to name a few.  No matter how large, most of us have an estate with value, and we know that we cannot take it with us when we go. 

It seems to be a fairly universally accepted premises that mot people like having control over their assets during life and that we would like to have some say in how assets are handled when we are no longer here.  To achieve that goal, having certain documents in place is of critical importance. Failure to plan will leave major decisions to chance and the strictures of state law; in our experience, neither option is what most people desire.

To ensure your desires are followed, you should provide instructions stating whom you want to receive your assets, what portion you want them to receive, and when they are to receive it (immediately or over time in trust).  Most people want these instructions to be carried in a cost efficient, tax efficient, and time efficient manner.  That is estate planning—making a plan  and naming whom you want to manage your estate and whom you want to receive your assets after you pass.

Some of our Trust and Estate Planning Services include:

▪ Last Wills and Testaments
▪ Durable Powers of Attorney
▪ Georgia Advance Directives for Healthcare
▪ Trust Planning, including Testamentary Trusts; Revocable Living Trusts; Special Needs Trusts; and Life Insurance Trusts
▪ Charitable Planning
▪ Business Succession Planning
▪ Intergenerational Planning
▪ Family Limited Partnerships
▪ Transfer/Estate Tax and Income Tax Minimization Strategies, Including Use of Sophisticated Trust Planning, Estate Value Freeze Techniques