Lush gardens with ornate fountains, huge houses or mansions on hills, a Rolls Royce parked in a long, arching driveway, luxury vacation suites; these may be some of the images that come to mind when you think of estate planning. We are here to tell you that estate planning is for almost everyone, not just the very wealthy. Most people can derive benefit from the process. But where does your money go after you die, and how can you avoid the high costs of probate? As far as where your money and assets go, it is entirely up to you. Avoiding the costs of probate can be easy if you hire a professional estate planning attorney in Aptos. The biggest reason for skyrocketing probate cases right now is incorrect or unclear documentation. This happens easily and all too frequently when there is no professional involved in the planning process…then litigation ensues.
How Does Aptos Estate Planning Work
If you are single, or have no children, it is easy to think that estate planning is not necessary for you; but this is not the case. If you are single, or if you are married with no children, you have just the same number of considerations to think about and therefore the same cause for estate planning as a couple with children and grandchildren. You still want to be the one to determine where your money and assets go after you die, and you still need to have someone you can trust have the authority and legal backing to make any financial or medical decisions for you if you become unable to make decisions for yourself. In the event that you do become incapacitated, having your estate all planed out correctly and clearly is the only way to make sure that these things will happen. Also, if you wish to give to one or multiple charities after you pass on, the only way to do that is to have it all laid out in your estate planning documents. After all of this, if you do happen to get married or have children later on in life, we can always go back and easily make the necessary changes to accommodate for those situations.
What is Aptos Estate Planning?
A professional estate planner will guide you through a series of personal questions that involve your family, children, grandchildren, beneficiaries, charities, and more. These questions are designed to help the professional be clear on what your wishes are in the event of your incapacitation or death. The list of questions will involve the estate planner asking things such as:
- Is your spouse or child disabled?
- Do you have a minor child or children?
- Are there any drug or alcohol abuse or treatment issues that need to be covered?
- Do you wish to pay for college, and if so, for whom?
- Is there a family history of Alzheimer’ s or dementia?
- Who do you want making medical and financial decisions for you if you do become incapacitated?
Don’t wait any longer!
To receive your free initial consultation:
Call 800-JIM-WARD (800-546-9273)
Why Using a Professional Aptos Estate Planner is Important
There are a lot of questions that will be asked during the estate planning process. A certain question or some questions may take you time to consider before you can move forward while at the same time being simple as pie to another couple. A client may want to keep everything about their situation or amount of wealth hidden from children and family until after they both pass on; or, they may want to involve the children and heirs in the planning process. Every case differs from person to person.
With the questions being about your desires and your family, this area of law is extremely personal. Everyone has had their own journey and each family has its own story, values, and morals. What works for you may not work for your neighbor; there is no universal “right way” at play here. We respect that and work hard to counsel clients thoroughly about their options and alternatives for themselves and their beneficiaries.
Mr. Ward takes the time to get to know each client on a personal basis so that he can fully understand their needs and desires. In Aptos, our estate planning law offices can usually provide basic guidance for people with just a simple telephone call, but we also offer free initial consultations in many cases. If you think that there is something we could possibly do for you, or if you have questions, we invite you to give us a call whenever you are ready to do so.