Helping You Plan for the Future:
Wills & Trusts
There are many different options when it comes to estate planning. The attorneys at Scheier Katin & Epstein, P.C. will not only help you understand the options, they will guide you through the estate planning process and make sure that you have the best plan in place for your needs and those of your family.
Attorney Barbara Epstein works with people of all ages and walks of life to help them create an estate plan that is tailored to their needs. She prepares wills, trusts, durable powers of attorney, health care proxies, and living wills with a view to providing for young children and other dependents, minimizing estate taxes, avoiding the delay and cost of probate, protecting assets, and addressing special family situations. She works with parents, grandparents and others who have beneficiaries with special needs to help them understand the impact of their estate plan on beneficiaries’ eligibility for governmental benefits and prepares supplemental needs trusts when appropriate.
We Follow Through and Assist You in Funding Your Trust
Trusts can be funded during your lifetime or upon death. They can be revocable, which means you retain the right to change or terminate it, or irrevocable, meaning that you cannot change it. A revocable trust funded during your lifetime is often called a “living trust”.
Many people set up living trusts but fail to transfer assets to the trust. Making sure that your trusts are funded, and that assets are re-titled when appropriate are all critical components of a complete estate plan. Attorney Epstein and the dedicated paralegals at Scheier Katin & Epstein, P.C. will work with your own financial advisors, accountants, and other professionals to make sure your estate plan is complete and that assets are transferred to your trusts.
Some of the most common goals of trusts are 1) to protect assets left to minor children or adult children who are not yet able to manage money on their own; 2) planning for your own incapacity; 3) planning for disabled beneficiaries; 4) avoiding or minimizing probate; and 5) avoiding or minimizing estate taxes.
Other Important Estate Planning Documents
If you have minor children, one of the most important goals of your Will is to choose guardians for your children. Attorney Epstein will help you weigh the considerations and make the choices that will be best for your family. She will also be sure you have a Durable Power of Attorney in place naming someone to handle your finances if you are unable to, and health care documents to ensure that your wishes concerning health care decisions are known to the person or persons who would make those decisions for you in case of your incapacity.
Contact us and let us know how we can help you.