Medical Power of Attorney
A Medical Power of Attorney appoints another person to make healthcare decisions when the client cannot make or communicate those decisions. The selected agent should understand the client’s values and be willing to act.
Estate Planning
Make your wishes clear, prepare for incapacity, preserve privacy, and coordinate how assets pass to the people and causes that matter to you.
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Estate Planning Overview
An estate plan establishes who can act for you during incapacity, how property is managed during your lifetime, who receives assets at death, and how business and entity interests fit into the plan.
A complete estate plan is more than a will. It may include a revocable trust, wills, financial and medical powers of attorney, healthcare directives, beneficiary designations, and specialized trusts. The documents must also be coordinated with the way assets are actually titled.
Understanding Probate
Probate is the court-supervised process used to identify a deceased person’s assets, determine the validity of a will, address creditors and taxes, and distribute the remaining estate.
The process can involve court filings, an executor or administrator, valuations, professional fees, public records, and delays. Not every asset passes through probate: jointly owned assets, beneficiary-designated accounts, trust-owned property, and certain entity interests may transfer differently.
What Your Attorney May Recommend
A will, revocable trust, joint ownership, beneficiary designation, and business agreement each control different assets in different ways. Joint ownership can avoid probate but may unintentionally disinherit descendants or override instructions in a will.
A will can name guardians and direct probate assets, while a properly funded trust can govern trust-owned property without the same probate process. The recommendation should be based on the family, ownership structure, beneficiaries, state, and goals.
Incapacity Planning
A complete plan identifies who can make financial and medical decisions if you cannot act or communicate for yourself.
Durable Power of Attorney
A Durable Power of Attorney authorizes a chosen agent to manage financial or legal matters if the client cannot act personally. Authority may include bills, accounts, property, tax documents, or business operations.
Core Documents
Hover over each document to see how it fits into the estate-planning foundation.
Revocable Living Trust
A revocable trust can hold property during life, provide instructions during incapacity, and direct trust assets at death. It must be coordinated with actual ownership and beneficiary designations.
Last Will & Testament
A will directs probate assets, names the estate representative, and may nominate guardians. A pour-over will can direct remaining probate assets into a trust after probate.
Living Will / Directive
A living will records preferences about medical treatment if you cannot communicate. Terminology and execution requirements vary by state.
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust
An ILIT may own life-insurance policies and manage proceeds for beneficiaries under specific estate, gift, tax, notice, and insurance rules.