Estate Planning Attorneys
A traditional estate plan focuses on the transfer of your property at your death and minimization of estate taxes. Your estate plan should also address a variety of other personal matters including the possibility of disability and need for long term care. It should ease your concerns about what happens to your property upon your death and ensure that your wishes are followed both while you are living and after your death. To make sure that your estate plan documents your wishes while using a tool that makes the most sense, you need an estate planning attorney. At Dutton Casey & Mesoloras, PC, our experienced estate planning lawyers can help you throughout the process of creating your estate plan.
Estate Planning Tools
As estate planning attorneys, we work with clients to understand and implement estate planning tools to accomplish their goals. This includes assisting clients with the following:
- Last Will and Testament
- Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts
- Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property
- Living Will
- Property Deeds
- Transfer on Death Instrument (TODI)
- HIPAA Authorizations
- Disposition of Remains Form
Navigate Estate Planning with Estate Planning Attorneys
While estate planning is for everyone, not every estate plan is the same. At Dutton Casey & Mesoloras, PC, we make sure that our clients’ plan also takes into consideration their unique needs. This includes addressing the following in our clients’ estate plan:
- Incapacity- The longer we live, the greater the likelihood that each of us will spend some portion of our life with diminished mental capacity and will need assistance with management of our finances and other important decisions. Planning for decision making and financial management in the event of incapacity is critical to a good estate plan.
- Asset Protection- You may have a child with a disability, or with health or mental problems that makes you question their ability to support themselves. We will consider those issues and may advise about special needs planning for that child. We may also advise about a credit-protection trust for a child who is in debt or has spending problems. If you have sufficient assets to make a substantial gift in the form of an irrevocable trust, we will be able to counsel you on a 5-year Medicaid plan to protect assets.
- Long Term Care- Unless you are covered under a long term care insurance policy, the cost of home care, assisted living, and nursing home for you and your spouse will be your financial responsibility. Your estate plan should include the flexibility to allow for long term care planning to qualify you or your spouse for Medicaid. This often takes the form of customized planning powers which must be included in your power of attorney for property and trust documents. If your spouse is diagnosed with a chronic illness, it may be prudent to restructure your assets. As estate planning lawyers, we take all of these issues into consideration with crafting your documents.