ESTATE PLANNING
Do You Really Know What Would Legally Happen If Something Happened To You?
Do you know what would happen legally and financially if something unexpected happened to you?
If you have an estate plan and it is out of date?
What does it even say? Could your assets be lost to the state department's pot of unclaimed property?
Would your estate end up in probate court? Does probate even apply to me?
If you do not have an estate plan, then your state has a plan for you, and it's probably not what you want.
Here’s the bottom line: If you do not know exactly what would happen to everyone you love and everything you own, then the first step is to find out exactly what would happen. Then YOU can decide if the current state of your affairs is okay with you. This is exactly what we do during your Legacy Planning Session.
ESTATE PLANNING
our first meeting generally is a Legacy Planning Session where the sole purpose is to get you more informed.
Before your Legacy Planning Session, you will complete your HOMEWORK, which will help start to think about the future and how you would want your assets to pass and who you would want to protect.
If you decide the current state of affairs is unacceptable then we will design an estate plan together that will best suit the needs of your family.
The foundation of your estate plan will often include a revocable living trust, which should help your family avoid the cost and delay of the public probate process.
“CAN I DIY MY ESTATE PLAN?”
We get this question all the time.
The answer is yes, you can. BUT…….
Unfortunately, most DIY plans do not work because much of what passes for estate “planning” is little more than word processing.
You answer a few automated questions and then the drafter (normally just software, not a human being) decides which “plan” is right for you. And then you are forced into a template document that may not reflect your needs or situation whatsoever.
This is not estate planning; this is little more than a “search and replace” of your family’s name and then the hit of the “print” button.
WE ARE PROFESSIONAL ESTATE PLANNERS
At Zarda Law, S.C. we will educate you and take the time to get to know you, your family, your concerns, your goals and your issues.
