Preserving relationships, protecting your legacy
We provide a range of strategies and tools tailored to your current situation and future goals, to help you and your loved ones. Estate Planning and Will preparation should consider not only your lifetime needs, but those of your loved ones as well. Together we tailor a personalized roadmap to your specific situation and relationships, ensuring deep understanding and support, at each step of the way.
Our services
Advance Health Care Directives
Safeguard your future wellbeing.
Losing the ability to make medical treatment options on your own behalf or effectively communicate them, a trusted person could do this for you. It outlines your preferences for end-of-life care and other treatments, providing guidance to your designated agent and healthcare providers about your wishes. The directive combines two key components - an End-Of-Life Decision and a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare - into a single document. This comprehensive approach empowers you to express your customized desires regarding life-sustaining procedures and more. We help you ensure your present wishes become future reality.
Statutory Durable Powers of Attorney
Guidance throughout your life’s journey.
A specific type of Power of Attorney makes decisions concerning your property and financial assets and can be an important decision; the person you name as your agent will have the power to make them on your behalf. Despite its broad power, the Statutory Durable Power of Attorney is "durable" because it could take effect immediately, and it will not be affected by any future physical or mental disability. Keeping your wishes in mind, now and in the future, is our goal.
Wills
Life and beyond.
The foundation of an Estate Plan is a Will and Trust that legally declares how to distribute your assets upon passing. A Will appoints a guardian and assets in your name alone transfer into your Revocable Trust, avoiding probate. Though often overlooked by traditional estate planning, we believe that passing on intangible treasures can be as precious as financial assets. We cherish your stories, experiences, and values — the very essence of who you are — should also be preserved.
Revocable Living Trust
Legacy that lasts.
A Revocable Living Trust is different from a Will. As the primary tool for transferring and holding assets, a Revocable Living Trust provides peace of mind by avoiding probate and allowing the trust to be amended or revoked at any time. Implementing the trust may involve preparing and filing a deed to transfer assets into the trust name, changing bank account titles to the trust name, or updating beneficiary designations on policies and retirement plans to the trust. Additionally, a Revocable Living Trust keeps your intentions private since its contents are not publicly disclosed like a Will. We help build your legacy that will endure for more than a lifetime.
Certification of Trust
Confident confidentiality.
Rest assured that the critical terms of your Revocable Trust can stay confidential while still conveying the necessary details. Protecting your privacy is always our priority.
Tax Planning
Plan for the future.
According to your specific needs, we minimize estate taxes by utilizing tailored tax planning strategies and techniques. We consider what's ahead and make preparations through:
Charitable Tax Planning
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
Irrevocable Trust
Qualified Personal Residence Trusts
Gift Tax Return Preparation
Trust Administration
Simplify the process.
In accordance with the terms of the Living Trust, the assets contained in the document benefit the heirs and beneficiaries after the grantor passes away. We streamline the documentation, filing, distributing, and court dealings associated with Trust Administration by following these steps:
Estate Tax Return preparation
Estate Tax Controversy Work (IRS involvement)
Special Needs Planning
Lasting legacy of love.
Parents universally wish for safety, happiness and life full of meaning for their children. Many benefits awarded to special needs children are “means tested”, with the amount of inherited assets affecting federal and state benefits, leaving parents to believe disinheritance is the only option. However, this does not have to be the case. When properly written and administered, the Supplemental Needs Trust allows parents to leave their child an inheritance that the trustee can use for the benefit of the child, without losing governmental benefits. Each case is unique, and we offer assistance though:
Supplemental Needs Trusts
(d)(4)(A) Trust
Funding
Your wishes upheld.
Funding your Trust is just as important as creating your estate plan; transferring assets during your lifetime, may afford you tax advantages. As funding depends on the nature of each asset, to determine the appropriate titling or beneficiary designation for each asset, we keep these real-life factors front of mind while making recommendations: convenience, intention, relationship, creditor-protection, tax consequences, and probate avoidance.
Family Meetings
Connect family and the future.
To ensure a smooth estate plan and asset transfer, it is crucial to hold a friends and family meeting with your lawyer. This meeting allows people to directly convey their intentions, and gives children a chance to meet the estate planning attorney. Having family buy-in creates understanding that is integral to success. We help facilitate these delicate conversations to find the ideal legal solution for you and your loved ones.
FAQs
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Rather than a one-time event, estate planning should be seen as an ongoing journey that evolves as our lives change over time. Change is always occurring; in the law and in your lives. Therefore, recommend you review your plan with the occurrence of any major life event or every 3 years.
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Costs for reviewing an estate plan vary depending on the work involved. The cost of your review meeting is applied to the balance of any future work we do for your estate. After our consultation, please feel free to decide how much or how little additional work you would like us to complete. The process for reviewing a plan includes the following:
• Call our office at (808) 524-0251 to schedule a review meeting.
• We review your plan in a 45 minute meeting.
• After the meeting, you will receive a letter summarizing our discussion and outlining an estimate for our future work together.
• You confirm via retainer contract that you want to proceed with the work. -
At your review meeting we will examine your plan and discuss the impact of any life changes or new laws. Before the meeting it helps to have clarity around your wishes. These are suggestions to help you prepare:
• Take a look through your plan. Pay close attention to who you named to make decisions for you, your beneficiaries, and the handling of distributions. Identify any changes you’d like to make.
• Prepare an inventory of your assets.
• Check the title of your real estate and the beneficiary designations of annuities, retirement accounts, and life insurance.
• Consider your beneficiaries; how are they managing money? How are their relationships with each other or their spouses? How are their careers? Are there any concerns for any of them
• Assess your needs. Are you planning to make any significant changes in your life, such as moving? How are you managing your affairs? Do you feel you need more help in this area? -
NEW CLIENT MEETINGS
Whether you’re new to estate planning or already have one, we’re here to help create or update yours, especially if it has been more than three years.REVIEW MEETINGS
Even if you feel that nothing has changed, we recommend that you review your estate plan every three to five years or if you have not been in for a review since 2012, we highly recommend you schedule an appointment. Changes in politics, advances in technology, and changes in personal circumstances mean that reviewing your estate plan regularly can help you take advantage of new laws or tax regulations.FAMILY MEETINGS
In conjunction with your estate planning, I also recommend a family meeting where you can sit down with family members at our office to discuss your wishes and goals with them. While your Trust is confidential, we have found it helpful to share your intentions with loved ones in advance and to provide legal clarity by trusted advisors can guide the conversation when it comes to financial and personal matters.FUNDING
Funding your trust and reviewing your financial assets is equally as important and personalized as creating a trust. A trust fund inventory helps determine the proper way to title your assets and/or designate a beneficiary based on financial factors such as ease of use, proximity, tax considerations, creditor protection, and probate avoidance.
