Many people spend decades accumulating assets without adequate attention to what might happen in the event of their incapacity or passing. This can create emotional and/or financial hardships for those they hoped to protect. One of the primary objectives of an estate plan is to ensure your assets are transferred or guardianship of children is set up in accordance with your wishes upon death or incapacity. If you already have estate documents in place, we will review those legal documents to ensure that your accounts and assets are properly titled and explain the implications of not having appropriate beneficiary designations. We will also review your potential tax situation and offer strategies to reduce current taxes and/or estate taxes for your heirs and protect your and their assets in the future. And we will do our best to ensure your documents are in order so that your wishes are honored if/when you can no longer manage your own affairs.
As an added service for our clients, we have partnered with Everplans to provide each of our financial planning clients a complimentary, secure “electronic safe deposit box” that enables them to organize their vital documents and final wishes, such as wills, trusts, health care directives, life insurance policies, personal and professional contacts, usernames and passwords, special instructions for pets, and even secret family recipes.
Moreover, deputies can be appointed to have access to one or more specific sections of their Everplan in order to maintain control over who has access to what information. The platform will guide our clients one step at a time on setting up their Everplan, with endless resources and advice to consider regarding estate and end-of-life planning matters.