Planning your Estate ahead will give you control and peace of mind
It is never easy to plan for the inevitability of old age and death. But if you want to retain control over your decisions during and after your life, then it is imperative that you plan ahead for these. You don’t want a lifetime’s worth of hard work and prudent decisions disintegrate just because you refused to plan ahead, which is why having an estate plan is so important.
An estate plan will help you plan the legal, financial and health aspects of your future in accordance with your beliefs, rights and wishes. It will put someone you trust in control and enable them to make critical decisions for you if you are ever in a position where you are unable to make them yourself. It will also ensure that your assets are passed on to your loved ones as per your specifications and in the most tax-effective way.
When it comes to estate planning, it is never too early to start. Planning in advance will allow you to think about your future and help you determine the people and things that are most important to you. It will help you ensure that your choices are respected to the end and will give you the peace of mind of knowing that you have done all you can to secure your loved ones’ future. It will help you continue to support the charities close to your heart even after your death and keep you alive through your deeds.
There are some who may tell you that plans never work in today’s world where things are constantly changing. We, however, beg to differ. Proper plans, when they are formulated with the help of experts, can and do work extremely well to fulfill your vision for the future.
Face the future confidently with our estate planning services
Our solicitors will work with you and other in-house and/or external experts as needed to design a comprehensive estate plan in line with your wishes. Our estate plans are created after double and triple verifications from various experts such as financial advisers, tax specialists and lawyers. Our network's comprehensive estate planning services include:
- Wills: A valid will is one of the most important parts of your estate plan. They help you draft a will that will clearly set out the distribution of your assets after your death, and provide clarity regarding your wishes if there is any dispute regarding your assets. This is particularly important in case of large or blended families where previous spouses, stepchildren or children of spouses can make claims on a person’s estate. By taking control and maintaining an up-to-date will with their help, you can control exactly how your assets will be divided and who will get what.
- Enduring Power of Attorney: All of us have to make decisions on a regular basis regarding how and what our money is spent on. If we were ever rendered unable to make these decisions on our own due to an accident, illness or any other unfortunate circumstance, we would probably still want to retain some control over how the decisions are made on our behalf. This can be accomplished by giving someone we trust the legal authority to carry out financial decisions the way we want. This is called making an enduring power of attorney. It allows you to nominate someone you trust to make financial decisions on your behalf and assist in your financial affairs if you are incapable of dealing with them yourself. It stays valid even in case of a person’s loss of physical or mental capacity.
- Enduring Power of Guardianship: This is a legal document that allows you to appoint someone to make medical and personal decisions on your behalf. The decisions may involve the treatments or medications you receive, your accommodation, rehabilitation choices and palliative care. Similar to the enduring power of attorney, this remains in place in case of a loss of capacity. In some states, an enduring power of guardianship can be incorporated within enduring power of attorney itself.
- A Trust: This is a legal structure that is created to shelter your assets from creditors and taxes for beneficiaries who may still be minors, physically disabled, mentally challenged or in some other way vulnerable.
Our experienced team of experts will help you create a comprehensive estate plan that includes all the above, and more. By availing our services and ensuring that your estate plan in in place, you can rest assured that your wishes will be carried out exactly the way you want in case the worst should happen.
Get in touch with us right away to begin the creation of your estate plan and give yourself the peace of mind that you deserve.
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