No one gets out of here alive. It’s an unfortunate fact, but we can put tools in place that help you leave your legacy to those you want it to go to.
At Ouverson, Guest & Carter, PA, we know this is not a happy topic – but it is an important one to think about and discuss. We are here to help you when you are ready to use the tools that exist for your best exit.
While it is a common thought that an estate plan just means that writing your wishes down matters, or that drafting a will or creating a trust solves the conundrum of allocating your assets to where you wish them to go – but there is a lot more that needs to be included in your estate planning to ensure that all of your hard earned assets are transferred correctly to your heirs.
Successful estate plans include the necessary provisions that allow your family members or beneficiaries to access or control your assets if you unfortunately happen to become unable to do so on your own.
A full and proper Estate Plan should include:
- A Living Will or Healthcare Directive
- A Will or Last Will & Testament
- Beneficiary Designations
- Durable Power of Attorney
- Guardianship Designations
- Healthcare Power of Attorney
- Letter of Intent
- Various Types of Trusts
Including these designations, forms, and documents (tools), you need a thorough estate plan that may include the purchase of certain insurance offerings, such as: long-term care to help cover your needs while being elderly, lifetime annuity for generating basic income towards end-of-life, and a life insurance policy that can help to pass money to your beneficiaries without requiring a lengthy probate process.
You do not have to be rich to need an estate plan. Anyone can benefit from having processes in place that ensure that their finances and property (no matter how humble) are properly taken care of, or equitably distributed, after your becoming incapacitated or passing away. Without such planning and documents, a probate court could decide upon an unintended distribution of your assets, or could dictate your wishes incorrectly.
Ouverson, Guest & Carter, PA has been helping families manage the legal burden of estate planning matters for years. We represent and guide our clients with creating trusts, delegating powers of attorney, composing living wills, settling probate matters, and managing probate administration. Estate planning is part of the process of creating a plan through the use of trusts, wills, asset preservation, advance medical directives, conservatorships, powers of attorney, guardianships, long term care planning, and other legal documents that can provide both peace of mind and protection for yourself, your loved ones, and your assets in the event of your disability, incapacity, or death. Everyone deserves the right to rest …in peace.