No one wants to think about death, yet proper estate planning is vital for protecting your loved ones and your assets. Estate plans and trusts are established to provide a road map directing how your personal and financial affairs should be handles after death.
Preserve your legacy for future generations.
Your estate plan should also protect and preserve your assets to the greatest extent possible, so that they may be passed to your loved ones rather than consumed by taxes and health care costs.
Proper estate planning also protects you in the event of incapacity by naming people to make financial and medical decisions for you, thus affording you peace of mind.
The estate planning services we provide include:
- Estate planning (wills, durable powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, trusts)
- Probate and estate administration
- Trust administration
- Guardianship and conservatorship
- Fiduciary law
- College Package (durable power of attorney, healthcare proxy, and HIPPA authorization)
It is never too soon to create an estate plan.
We assist individuals, families and businesses throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and surrounding areas with comprehensive estate planning services, with an emphasis on anticipating tax implications, asset preservation, and avoiding probate.
Our attorneys and staff are dedicated to putting the client first and our efforts to customize each case according to the unique needs of each individual client. Our goal is to develop a personal connection with each client to declare and ensure that your wishes, and legacy are protected with a minimum of stress for both you in creating your plan as well as in supporting the administration and guiding your loved ones in the event of death or incapacity.
Whether your will needs an update or you’re just getting started with your estate planning, we can create a tailored strategy that protects your legacy to pass it on intact to your loved ones.
Estate Planning Tools
What will happen to your property after you die? What will happen to you if you become incapacitated? Who will look after your children, protect your family, and take care of your responsibilities if you can no longer do so?
These difficult questions live at the heart of the estate planning. Our compassionate and experienced attorneys will put your mind at ease and guide you through the creation of a comprehensive estate plan.
An estate plan is a collection of tools that, when taken together, work to protect your interests. No two estate plans are exactly alike, and we don’t use “one size fits all” approaches. The individual tools you choose to include in your plan will each be responsible for meeting one or more of your specific goals or legal needs
- Last Will and Testament. A last will and testament is the most basic, and one of the most essential, estate planning tools. Whether you are young, old, wealthy, married, a single parent, or anyone else, you should have a last will and testament. As time goes on in your desires change, you can update your will whenever you like. If you don’t have a will you leave it up to state laws to determine how others will inherit your property.
- Revocable Living Trust. A revocable living trust can be one the most powerful estate planning tools in your arsenal and is designed to work hand-in-hand with a last will and testament. When you create a trust, you give yourself the ability to more effectively, and efficiently, transfer inheritances to your family after you die.
- Health Care Directives. Through these directives you can choose a medical representative and state your medical choices should you find yourself in the position of not being able to make your own decisions.
- Financial Powers of Attorney. A financial power of attorney is a good document to make for yourself, but it can also be a great blessing for your family. It is a reliable way to arrange for someone to manage your finances if you become incapacitated (unable to make decisions for yourself).
As you age, many parts of your estate plan might need to be updated or revoked entirely, so it is best to revisit your plan regularly as your needs change.
Crafting an estate plan is something that takes time, patience, experience, and good advice. Our attorneys help our clients create plans that suit their needs, advise them on their options, and give them the support they need to ensure their plans are as good as they can be throughout all stages of life. If you haven’t begun the estate planning process, you should contact us promptly so we can help you get started.
What’s the cost?
There is no charge for the initial telephone consultation. In a majority of cases we work on a fixed fee basis. In more complex situations, we may propose work on an hourly basis or a combination of fixed fees and hourly charges.
Our clients.
We work with clients of all ages, married and single, with and without children, blended families, multi-generational families, business owners, professionals, corporate executives, and retirees. We look forward to working with you!
Protect yourself and those most important to you from the unpredictable.
For more information or to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced attorney, please contact us.