WHAT’S NEWWITH ME AND MY OWN?
Many people spend an ample amount of time making decisions about vacations or buying a new car. Unfortunately, estate planning usually does not get the same attention. While you may feel unsettled over getting your estate plan prepared, doing so can be rewarding and stress-relieving and can help ease your mind. Here are four reasons you should get your estate in order. AVOID PROBATE It is not uncommon to associate complications with probate. Probate is the process of validating a deceased person’s will, placing a value on their assets, paying their final bills, and distributing the remainder to the beneficiaries. This process can be time-consuming and expensive. It also tends to increase the chances of disagreements between beneficiaries who think they deserve more than they are given. REDUCE ESTATE TAXES If you’re setting up an estate plan, there’s a good chance you are doing it to protect your loved ones. It’s important to protect them from the IRS during this process. Transferring assets to heirs can create an extremely large tax burden. Though, keep in mind that you can reduce or even completely eliminate estate taxes altogether with strong estate planning. AVOID THE MESS The time after a loved one’s death should be reserved for grieving, but too often, people are dragged into probate battles and arguments with siblings. Death is not predictable; it can happen at almost any time. Preparing an estate plan is the best way to avoid a familial breakdown after a death. PROTECT BENEFICIARIES AND ASSETS At the end of the day, you want to make sure that all of your loved ones are taken care of in the event of your untimely death. By creating a will and getting an estate plan in place, you are ensuring that all of your assets will go to the correct beneficiary. It allows you to designate trustees over beneficiaries who are minors or potentially poor money managers. This will also ensure that no assets fall through the cracks, giving everyone their fair share. Once you’ve created your will, it’s important to keep it updated. Things change, and you need to make sure your will changes with them. 4 Reasons You Should Get Your Estate Plan in Order MAKING SURE YOU ARE PREPARED
Jeff then — and now!
Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. It’s hard to believe that I’ll be coming up on 10 years of being a licensed attorney — and five of those years have been with Attorney Jeff Menoski by my side. We’ve handled complex real estate litigation, probate litigation, and real estate transactions (just to name a few). Jeff Menoski has always been consistent. He doesn’t get moved or swayed easily from his position, which is why he’s a great lawyer. He’s definitely someone you want on your case — someone levelheaded and focused on excellence .
We want to congratulate Taelor Dudek on getting a promotion from legal assistant to probate paralegal. She’s great at assisting our probate clients while navigating through the probate court.
And how could we forget Zade Edward.
If you’re ready to start planning your estate, give our office a call today.
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