Services
Living Trusts
A living trust provides for management of your assets during your lifetime and allows you to control how and when your heirs receive their assets. It will also distribute your assets at death in a tax-efficient manner and helps to avoid the high costs and delay of probate. A living trust is revocable and may be changed while you are alive. The Stokely Estate Planning Law Firm can customize your living trust so that you can preserve control of your estate during your lifetime, protect your beneficiaries, maximize tax benefits by employing customized tax strategies, effectively distribute your assets, reduce the costs of administration of your estate, help avoid delays and high costs of probate, provide timely access to your estate’s resources for your heirs, and help maintain the privacy of you and your heirs.
Wills
A will is a legal document that distributes your assets upon your death. It can also be used to ensure that overlooked assets are distributed through your trust and that guardians are selected for your minor children. While it is important to have a will, it may not help you avoid probate as a will often needs to be submitted to probate court before it will become effective. The Stokely Estate Planning Law Firm can draft a will that fits your needs to ensure maximum administration efficiency.
Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney authorizes an individual to make personal, legal, or financial decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated. Having a durable power of attorney also helps to avoid the need for a court appointed conservator for your estate. The Stokely Estate Planning Law Firm can draft your durable power of attorney to ensure your important matters will be taken care of by your selected attorney-in-fact should you become incapacitated and can no longer manage your affairs.
Advanced Health Care Directive
An advanced health care directive tells your physician and your loved ones how to take care of your medical needs should you become incapacitated and are unable to speak for yourself. The Stokely Estate Planning Law Firm can assist you in establishing your advanced health care directive which will entail details such as allowable medical procedures, medications or treatments to include or avoid, location of care, desires regarding end-of-life treatment, and organ donation.