Whether it’s tomorrow or 10 years from now, we’re all going to die someday.
For many folks, such a statement can be unpleasant to thing about regardless of who old they are. But regardless of your feelings on death, it’s important to have a plan for when death finally comes.
What does that entail? For starters, you can make things a lot easier by writing a will. A will a legal document that states your wishes for your estate i.e. your belongings when you pass away. As the writer of the will, you the testator declare your wishes for the executor, who carries out the wishes of your will.
If you don’t have a will, it’s important to get going on one. In fact, more than 60% of the American public doesn’t have a will and a large percentage of older Americans don’t have one either. While there are many elder care aids available such Medicaid, having a plan in place for after death is essential.
Another option for determine the fate of your estate is to hire an estate lawyer. After a loved one passes away, handling the affairs of an estate is important. But it can also be a very delicate thing during a very sensitive time. An estate lawyer can help make the whole process easier.
One of the greatest benefits an estate lawyer can offer is helping to set up a trust. Whether you’re dealing with a younger family member’s estate or veterans estate planning, it’s a difficult thing to deal with. This is especially true when it comes to legal matters. Fortunately, estate lawyers can make the legal process by helping you set up a trust.
Benefits of setting up a trust include:
- An easier time with taxes: Whether you’re dealing with veterans estate planning or another person’s estate, a trust can help minimize the burden of taxes. If you’re getting an inheritance for example, you want to be able to draw that money and use it however you need instead of worrying about the government taking a chunk of it. Fortunately, an estate attorney can help you legally shield your loved one’s estate from taxes. Good lawyers will take a look at the bigger picture when it comes to the estate and determine the tax liability and then work to reduce the tax bill on the estate.
- Getting your money: Another one of the big benefits of working with an estate lawyer is that he or she can help you get inheritance money quicker. Regardless of how much you might get, you don’t want money to be tied up in a legal web. An estate lawyer experienced in veterans estate planning can streamline the whole thing. This includes giving you advice depending on what you’re planning to do with the money. Maybe you want to open a business. Maybe you want to invest it. Maybe you want to pay off debt. Whatever the plan, a lawyer can advice you on what steps to take.
- No litigation: Believe it or not, families can actually get sued in the process of hashing out an estate. The validity of a will might be questioned or perhaps creditors are after money. In any case, that can leave families open to exhausting litigation. With a lawyer, the possibility of litigation is reduced.
- A helping hand: Hashing out a loved one’s estate can be a taxing task for many families. Having a lawyer to help a family navigate through the entire process, especially when it comes to veterans estate planning and creating a trust, can ease a lot of burden and make everything easier.
Writing a will or hiring estate lawyers to help establish a trust is something that should be done without delay. It makes things much easier for families after a death. If you die without a will or trust, your estate will be often be settled by probate and an administrator, who is bound by whatever the applicable state laws are. Take time to put your wishes down on paper or set up a trust and save your loved ones any future hang-ups.