What is Estate Planning?

Setting up a plan to enable you to control and efficiently manage your assets while you are alive, take care of you and your loved ones if you become disabled, and upon your death, give what you have to whom you want, the way you want, while saving on taxes, professional fees, and court costs.

The Biggest Mistakes People Make

1. Doing nothing-failure to plan
2. Believing that signing your will avoids probate
3. Using Joint Tenancy or beneficiary designations without reviewing all options
4. Not protecting separate assets
5. Not considering distribution options for beneficiaries
6. Signing your estate planning documents and then doing nothing regarding funding (changing title to assets) and/or beneficiary designations
7. Not telling family/successor trustees what your plan is or where estate planning documents are located
8. Losing or not using the estate tax exemption
9. Not setting up an irrevocable trust to own life insurance if you have a taxable and/or large estate
10. Not looking into planning for long term care
11. Not reviewing your plan every three years to update for changes in laws and in your family.