Estate Planning

 

Estate planning encompasses many aspects of life which are close to the hearts of each of us:

  • Helping to ensure that future generations wisely manage assets left to them
  • Achieving maximum income, estate and property tax savings
  • Ensuring that individuals or entities you trust can immediately step in to manage your affairs, if needed
  • Protecting adult children from claims made by creditors or (ex-) spouses
  • Providing for pets by designating who will care for them, how they should be cared for and establishing funds for the care of these close “family members”
  • Making lifetime gifts to loved ones
  • Avoiding the need for court involvement or conservatorships in the event of incapacity
  • Planning for the future of your family business, effectively ensuring that the needs of both the “older generation” and the “younger generation” are met

Estate planning can also involve the creation of irrevocable trusts, which can often be effective vehicles for making lifetime gifts. Estate and/or income tax savings can frequently be achieved through the use of carefully crafted trusts, including:

  • Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRT)
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts (CRT)
  • Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRAT)
  • Life Insurance Trusts
  • Children’s and/or Grandchildren’s Trusts
  • Dynasty Trusts