Using My Experience to Guide You Toward Customized Estate Planning Solutions

An estate plan is a blueprint for managing your personal affairs if you become incapacitated during your lifetime and for addressing the needs or wants of others after your death. Estate planning is not a document or a series of documents; those are merely tools you use to accomplish your goals and secure your future.

Whether you just got your first job or had your first grandchild, you need an estate plan to protect your future and your loved ones. At Marshall Law, I assist clients throughout Florida in establishing comprehensive estate plans that suit their needs. Every individual needs an estate plan that aligns with their unique circumstances. When you work with me at Marshall Law, I take the time to get to know you so we can jointly establish an estate plan that is as unique as you are.

An Estate Plan Has Many Different Parts That Work Together to Protect Your Future

A good estate plan should consider your individual circumstances, including your family, relationships and assets. Every individual and family is unique, so your estate plan should be unique, so it addresses your specific needs, goals and concerns.

Estate planning should take into consideration numerous factors, including:

• Whether you or any family members have special needs: If you need to reserve money for a loved one with special needs, you can create a special needs trust to provide for them while also ensuring that they receive the government benefits they need.
• The tax implications of transferring or possessing certain assets: The use of a will or trust can help avoid or lessen estate taxes, capital gains taxes and income taxes.
• Whether you have any current or anticipated health concerns: Through different estate planning tools, you can plan for your long-term care needs. You can also execute documents appointing surrogates to make medical decisions should you be unable to do so yourself.
• Whether you have any charities: to which you want to leave money. You can establish a charitable trust, where you leave assets to benefit a specific charity.
• Concerns you have regarding a beneficiary’s financial situation: You will want to consider any creditor disputes or financial concerns a beneficiary is facing because we may be able to leave them an inheritance exempt from their creditors.

Throughout the estate planning process, the focus should be on addressing issues you know about while also building in flexibility to address the “unknowns” that can arise in the future. Failure to properly address issues may result in additional fees and costs later when time is of the essence.

Everyone Needs an Estate Plan

If you are 18 or over, then you need an estate plan. This is because once a person reaches the age of 18, they are legally an adult, so the natural rights of parents are no longer present, and, thus, parents no longer have the automatic right to manage the assets and health care of their child.

Nonetheless, just because someone is 18 does not mean that they need the same estate planning services as someone who is 48, just as a 48-year-old’s estate planning needs are different from those of someone who is 78. The person for whom estate planning is being done needs to be the centerpiece of the plan, and that plan must consider their unique circumstances.

As you move through life and face numerous milestones and changes, your estate plan needs to be updated to represent your current circumstances and future concerns. I will work with you to ensure your plan accounts for any changes in your life or family circumstances.

Let’s Get Started on Your Estate Plan

Estate planning is more than just a collection of legal documents. When you work with me at Marshall Law, I will walk you through every step of the process so that you can face your future with confidence. To schedule a consultation, call me at 352-619-0744 or complete my online contact form.