Though some of the most important legal challenges an individual will encounter, planning for one’s incapacity and planning for lifetime and death transfers of one’s wealth are often the most “avoided” decisions — usually leading to greater problems for one’s family.
Designing an estate plan, which takes into account not only present circumstances, but recognizes and considers the many life changes which may occur over the years, requires the guidance of a legal counselor with proven experience. Bob Bible has both the education and years of experience to help clients navigate life’s changing environment to develop an estate plan which ensures the desired passing of one’s wealth by carefully evaluating a particular client’s set of specific circumstances or family composition.
An effective estate plan involves much more than simply preparing a will or trust. Several different assets and asset ownership structures come into play, such as:
- Closely held business
- Life insurance
- Real estate
- Retirement accounts
- Financial accounts
- Family heirlooms
To be effective, an estate plan must create harmony between one’s will/trust, entity documentation, beneficiary designations and existing asset title structures to make certain a particular asset or item of property passes to the intended family members, friends or charities. Bob’s guidance does not stop at the creation of the estate plan, but continues through helping loved ones navigate probate and trust administration following death to ensure the client’s estate plan is carried out.
The Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer services available at Bob Bible Law include:
- Advanced Directives for Healthcare (which include a Living Will and Designation of Healthcare Surrogate)
- Nomination of PreNeed Guardian
- Durable Power of Attorney and Special Limited Power of Attorney
- Marital Agreements, including Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements
- Deeds and structuring real property ownership
- Last Will and Testaments, both simple and complex
- Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts, including Life Insurance Trusts and use of Pour-Over Wills
- Qualified Domestic Trusts
- Qualified Subchapter “S” Trusts
- Use of “pay on death” and “transfer on death” financial account designations
- Use of entities such as Limited Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies in estate planning
- Probate and Estate Administration and settlement
- Trust Administration and settlement
- Fiduciary accounting
- Estate and trust dispute resolution
- Federal estate, gift and general skipping taxation
- Preparation of Federal Estate Tax (Form 706) and Federal Gift Tax (Form 709) returns
- Charitable gifting, including charitable trusts such as charitable remainder annuity trusts, charitable remainder unitrusts and charitable lead trusts
- Structuring beneficiary designations on life insurance, annuity and retirement accounts