Preserve What Matters, Plan Your Legacy

Creating a legacy is a significant achievement, but ensuring it’s passed on according to your wishes is the next crucial step. Estate planning is more than just drafting documents—it’s about preserving your wealth, protecting your loved ones, and leaving a lasting impact. Our comprehensive estate planning services help you navigate the complexities of wealth transfer so that your legacy endures.

Helping ensure your legacy is passed on according to your wishes

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  • Our blueprint

Addressing the complexities of wealth transfer with a comprehensive review of:

Establishing the Fundamentals

Wills, Medical Directives, and Power of Attorney:
The cornerstone of any estate plan is establishing essential legal documents. We guide you through creating or updating your will, which dictates asset distribution. We’ll also help set up medical directives, like a living will and healthcare proxy, and a power of attorney to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. These foundational documents are designed to protect your assets and ensure your wishes are honored, sparing your loved ones from difficult decisions.

Minimizing Taxes and Avoiding Probate

Strategic Wealth Transfer:
A key aspect of estate planning is minimizing the tax burden on your heirs and avoiding the lengthy probate process. We explore strategies to help ensure more of your wealth reaches the next generation, such as:

  • Gifting Strategies: We help structure gifts to take advantage of tax exclusions, reducing the taxable value of your estate and allowing you to see your loved ones benefit during your lifetime.
  • Life Insurance Planning: Life insurance provides liquidity to cover estate taxes and expenses. We incorporate life insurance into your plan, using strategies like irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs) to keep proceeds out of your taxable estate.
  • Trusts ~ Flexibility and Control: Trusts allow you to manage and distribute assets according to your wishes. We explore options like revocable living trusts to avoid probate and irrevocable trusts for tax benefits and asset protection.

Protecting Your Legacy

Asset Protection Strategies:
Preserving wealth involves shielding it from potential threats. We help implement asset protection strategies, such as setting up trusts or family limited partnerships, to help safeguard your estate from creditors and lawsuits.

Charitable Giving

Leaving a Lasting Impact:
If charitable giving is part of your legacy, we help you incorporate it into your estate plan to maximize impact and tax benefits. Options include charitable remainder trusts (CRTs), donor-advised funds, and direct bequests to your favorite charities.

Multi-Generational Planning

Ensuring a Smooth Wealth Transfer:
We offer multi-generational planning services to prepare your heirs to manage and preserve wealth responsibly. This includes family meetings, financial education, and establishing family governance structures that promote unity.

Ongoing Review and Adjustment

Adapting to Life and Legal Changes:
Estate planning is not static—it must adapt to changes in your life and the legal landscape. We regularly review your estate plan to help ensure it remains aligned with your current wishes and responds to evolving needs. This includes making necessary adjustments in response to significant changes in estate laws. Over the past 20 years, estate laws have undergone substantial shifts, including changes in the federal estate tax exemption, which has increased dramatically from $675,000 in 2001 to $12.92 million in 2023. Additionally, portability provisions, which allow a surviving spouse to use a deceased spouse’s unused estate tax exemption, were introduced in 2010. Such changes can have a profound impact on your estate planning strategy, and we strive to ensure your plan is updated to take full advantage of these legal developments, protecting your legacy and minimizing tax liabilities.