Wills and Trusts
Every adult should have an Estate Plan, regardless of how large or small their estate is. Estate Planning achieves several different goals, all accomplished by different components of a well-crafted Estate Plan. Many clients come into our office saying “I need a Will,” without understanding how little protection a Will offers to their estate. At Bezaire, Ledwitz & Associates, we create Estate Plans for our clients; a collection of documents that work together to protect an estate from Probate, taxes, and uncertainty.
Many clients believe that a Will, standing alone, is sufficient to prevent their surviving family members and other heirs from dealing with Probate.
This is not true—a will must be probated!
A typical Estate Plan includes a Living Trust, which helps your estate avoid Probate and directs the disposition of your assets when you have passed away. Durable Powers of Attorney authorize who will act on your behalf if you are incapacitated, and an Advance Health Care Directive ensures that your wishes are carried out in case of illness or accident.
Bezaire, Ledwitz & Associates offers comprehensive Estate Planning services, including the following:
- Trusts and Living trusts to hold and/or manage your assets.
- Wills, which can serve as a “back-up” document to Living Trusts.
- Durable Powers of Attorney.
- Advance Health Care Directives.
- Healthcare Document-on-Demand system (Docu-Bank).
- HIPAA/CMIA medical record release and authorizations.
- Guardianship designations.
As referenced above, many clients believe that a Will, standing alone, is sufficient to prevent their surviving family members and other heirs from dealing with Probate. This is not true—a will must be probated! All types of families will benefit from the careful use of different kinds of Trusts to hold title to their assets, make sure they are properly managed for the beneficiaries, keep those assets out of Probate Court and reduce taxes.
Benefits of a Living Trust
Special Instructions For Your Trust
Zoom Meeting Information
Samuel B. Ledwitz has been practicing Estate Planning Law for two decades.
He would like to introduce you to the basics of Estate Planning during an informational free upcoming Zoom session.
New sessions have been scheduled. See below for new dates: updates:
Session 1 June 29, 10:00AM
Session 2 June 30, 2:00PM
During this session you can learn:
What is a proper Estate Plan
Why it is so important to have a proper Estate Plan
The do’s and don’ts of Estate Planning
Many other aspects of Estate Planning that could affect you