What Does an Estate Planning Attorney Do?

 

Estate planning involves the management and parceling out of an estate to lower the taxes owed and to transfer the assets to one's beneficiaries after death. The purpose of that is to ensure that your financial wishes are met after you die and that you do not leave the court to determine these decisions for you. You plan your estate through legal entities like wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care surrogacies among others. These are important legal instruments that will help your family after your death, and you avoid the hassle of your estate going into probate and having a judge settle it. When you begin planning, you would want to hire an attorney to ensure that you meet all the requirements for your final wishes to be carried out according to your wishes as per the laws in your state. There are several things that you can do as you prepare to meet with your estate planning attorney.

 

The first thing to do is to put your documents in order. You will want the names and addresses of all your beneficiaries that are associated with your assets. Bank account information, insurance information, pension and retirement plans, household inventory list and the debt list, are all the items that you would take to a meeting with your estate planning attorney. You should provide as much information as possible so that the estate planning attorney can prepare the estate plan as well as possible.

 

When searching for an estate planning attorney, there are some things that you would want to ask them. You should know the fees they charge for their services, how best to lower your tax requirement after you die and if there are any potential problems with your wishes. You will also provide details about the arrangements for your children and how often your will should be updated. There are all the things that you would want to deal with initially before you begin your plan.

 

One of the best ways to begin finding an estate planning attorney is using references. Ask friends and family members who they would recommend. Other professionals, you use like accountants, financial advisors and attorneys you have used in the past will be of great help in finding a reputable estate planning attorney. You could also contact the local bar association and ask for recommendations. You can also research online and find websites of local estate planning attorneys. Excellent tax audit lawyer will have updated sites that will give you detailed information about the estate planning process and might even include testimonials from happy clients.