What is Estate Planning and How Does It Work?

Estate planning begins with deciding what will happen to your belongings, property or possessions when you die. It involves creating the proper legal documents to turn your wishes into plans.

Estate planning also allows you to create a way for your property to get to the people you want to have it if you were  unable to make decisions for yourself, like when an aging grandmother develops Alzheimer’s. However, these decisions must be made before someone becomes unable to make decisions on their own. When a person is no longer able to make decisions on their own, the law calls that "incapacitated."

Estate planning also includes making decisions and plans for the care and provision of minor children. Deciding who would take care of your children were you to become incapacitated or to die unexpectedly and making the proper legal papers to carry out your wishes is considered estate planning.

A person does not have to have a great deal of accumulated money or wealth to create an estate plan. They only need to care about how their loved ones will be provided for in the event of their death or an illness that could leave them incapacitated.

Estate planning involves a whole set of complicated decisions. I walk my clients through the choices. I take the time to help you understand the legal consequences of your choices. I look forward to helping you with your estate planning decisions.