Everybody has different goals for what will happen with their “stuff” when they die. Our goal is to understand who and what is important to you and what is the legacy that you want to leave for them.

We work in coordination with your estate attorney to execute on any of the following actions:

 

1. Account Beneficiary Designations

  • You can avoid probate by properly designating beneficiaries on all your investment and bank accounts.
  • You can also create issues for your estate by doing this wrong, especially if you are utilizing a Trust (Trusts) as part of your estate planning.
 

2. Reducing Taxes Paid to IRS

  • There are Federal limits to how much you are able to exclude from your taxable estate as it passes to your heirs.
  • In some states, there are also separate (likely lower) limits that may apply to your estate.
  • These numbers are changing regularly as different bills float through congress.
  • It’s important to understand those numbers and how they might apply to you and work with us and your estate attorney to minimize the overall tax bill that your estate will have to pay.
 

3. Naming Power of Attorney

  • It is important that someone is given the power to make health- and financial decisions should you become unable. 
  • We need to be able to work with your Power of Attorney to ensure that you still have access to your funds and that your plans stay in-tact.
  • We have had instances where a POA needs to be contacted as a safety mechanism against senior abuse – which saved our client tens of thousands of dollars.
 

4. Creating/ Reviewing Living Will

  • The Living Will contains multiple components that give instructions for processing your estate but also give instructions for health situations that may come up while you are still alive.
  • Life changes and it is important that these documents are reviewed regularly. New generations of your family might be reaching age of majority or just being born, for example.
 

5. Establishing a Trust

  • There are times when your estate attorney might advise you to create a Trust or Trusts with the goal of limiting taxes and avoiding costly probate.
  • We work with your attorney to fund specific Trusts and establish Trusts as beneficiaries, where instructed. This is a crucial step in ensuring that your estate planning is executed the way it was designed.
 

6. Annual/Lifetime Gift Exclusions

  • The IRS establishes annual and lifetime gift exclusions that can be passed to someone else tax-free. 
  • The limits change relatively frequently and are a crucial part of the estate planning process.
 

7. Donor Advised Funds

  • Donor Advised Funds (DAF) are a tool that we use with our clients to create a legacy and provide funds for organizations that are important to them.
  • We have strategies that help our clients not only accomplish their charitable goals, but also help reduce tax liabilities.
 

1. Account Beneficiary Designations

  • You can avoid probate by properly designating beneficiaries on all your investment and bank accounts.
  • You can also create issues for your estate by doing this wrong, especially if you are utilizing a Trust (Trusts) as part of your estate planning.
 

2. Reducing Taxes Paid to IRS

  • There are Federal limits to how much you are able to exclude from your taxable estate as it passes to your heirs.
  • In some states, there are also separate (likely lower) limits that may apply to your estate.
  • These numbers are changing regularly as different bills float through congress.
  • It’s important to understand those numbers and how they might apply to you and work with us and your estate attorney to minimize the overall tax bill that your estate will have to pay.
 

3. Naming Power of Attorney

  • It is important that someone is given the power to make health- and financial decisions should you become unable. 
  • We need to be able to work with your Power of Attorney to ensure that you still have access to your funds and that your plans stay in-tact.
  • We have had instances where a POA needs to be contacted as a safety mechanism against senior abuse – which saved our client tens of thousands of dollars.
 

4. Creating/ Reviewing Living Will

  • The Living Will contains multiple components that give instructions for processing your estate but also give instructions for health situations that may come up while you are still alive.
  • Life changes and it is important that these documents are reviewed regularly. New generations of your family might be reaching age of majority or just being born, for example.
 

5. Establishing a Trust

  • There are times when your estate attorney might advise you to create a Trust or Trusts with the goal of limiting taxes and avoiding costly probate.
  • We work with your attorney to fund specific Trusts and establish Trusts as beneficiaries, where instructed. This is a crucial step in ensuring that your estate planning is executed the way it was designed.
 

6. Annual/Lifetime Gift Exclusions

  • The IRS establishes annual and lifetime gift exclusions that can be passed to someone else tax-free. 
  • The limits change relatively frequently and are a crucial part of the estate planning process.
 

7. Donor Advised Funds

  • Donor Advised Funds (DAF) are a tool that we use with our clients to create a legacy and provide funds for organizations that are important to them.
  • We have strategies that help our clients not only accomplish their charitable goals, but also help reduce tax liabilities.
 

1. Account Beneficiary Designations

  • You can avoid probate by properly designating beneficiaries on all your investment and bank accounts.
  • You can also create issues for your estate by doing this wrong, especially if you are utilizing a Trust (Trusts) as part of your estate planning.
 

2. Reducing Taxes Paid to IRS

  • There are Federal limits to how much you are able to exclude from your taxable estate as it passes to your heirs.
  • In some states, there are also separate (likely lower) limits that may apply to your estate.
  • These numbers are changing regularly as different bills float through congress.
  • It’s important to understand those numbers and how they might apply to you and work with us and your estate attorney to minimize the overall tax bill that your estate will have to pay.
 

3. Naming Power of Attorney

  • It is important that someone is given the power to make health- and financial decisions should you become unable. 
  • We need to be able to work with your Power of Attorney to ensure that you still have access to your funds and that your plans stay in-tact.
  • We have had instances where a POA needs to be contacted as a safety mechanism against senior abuse – which saved our client tens of thousands of dollars.
 

4. Creating/ Reviewing Living Will

  • The Living Will contains multiple components that give instructions for processing your estate but also give instructions for health situations that may come up while you are still alive.
  • Life changes and it is important that these documents are reviewed regularly. New generations of your family might be reaching age of majority or just being born, for example.
 

5. Establishing a Trust

  • There are times when your estate attorney might advise you to create a Trust or Trusts with the goal of limiting taxes and avoiding costly probate.
  • We work with your attorney to fund specific Trusts and establish Trusts as beneficiaries, where instructed. This is a crucial step in ensuring that your estate planning is executed the way it was designed.
 

6. Annual/Lifetime Gift Exclusions

  • The IRS establishes annual and lifetime gift exclusions that can be passed to someone else tax-free. 
  • The limits change relatively frequently and are a crucial part of the estate planning process.
 

7. Donor Advised Funds

  • Donor Advised Funds (DAF) are a tool that we use with our clients to create a legacy and provide funds for organizations that are important to them.
  • We have strategies that help our clients not only accomplish their charitable goals, but also help reduce tax liabilities.

It is important to understand what will happen when you are no longer around. We understand that and want to help guide you through the difficult process of estate planning and understanding the different methods for passing your assets. 

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