Wills and Trusts

While we are not attorneys who draft Estate documents like Wills, Trusts, and power of attorney, we have decades of industry experience to work with you and your attorney to make sure your intentions on what you want to happen to your finances when you pass actually occur. There are some cases where the wording in these documents does not line up with what is accepted at various financial institutions so we can help you and your attorney draft or revise these documents as your life changes and the financial industry adapts to changes in the tax code.

Growing Family

When you are young and just starting your family, one of the last things you think about is Estate Planning. However, if you are married or have children, Estate planning is vital to making sure your loved ones are protected if something happens to you. Estate planning has many different levels but even ensuring you have the correct beneficiaries named on accounts and insurance policies falls under Estate planning.

Children cannot be the owners of financial accounts or the direct recipients of life insurance proceeds so if they are under 18 and something happens to both parents, someone must be named as guardian for them and for the Estate. These do not necessarily have to be the same person and there are benefits and disadvantages to having the same person having custody for your children and control of their inheritance. Likewise, just because your children can legally take ownership of these accounts does not necessarily mean that they should have immediate and full access to funds. We can help you and work with your attorney to build a strategy and plan that protects your children in the event of something happening to you and your spouse.

If you plan on travels for extended periods of time or even weekend trips without the kids but in areas of limited cell phone reception, you might want to consider having limited medical power of attorney for whom ever is watching your children.

Final Wishes

We want to help make sure your money goes where you intend it after your passing. Whether this is to family or to groups that were important to you, we (along with your estate attorney) can help ensure your final wishes are met. This includes keeping up with the various changes in tax code with regard to investments and insurance policies at death.