One of the best things you can do now to prepare for the uncertain future is to carry out estate planning. By preparing wills, trusts, powers of attorney and healthcare directives, you have the assurance that your wishes would be honored when you die or become incapable of handling your affairs. An estate planning attorney such as we have at our law firm is in the best position to guide you through this process. If you live around Greenpoint Brooklyn, you can call our law office to get in touch with an experienced estate planning attorney.
Reasons why you need to hire an estate planning attorney
To be realistic, today’s world of digitalization has made almost everything readily available on the Internet. A lot of people now opt for preparing wills themselves due to the low cost. But the truth of the matter is that doing so can be detrimental to you and your survivors in the long run. Estate planning is a delicate and legal matter, and preparing legal documents yourself can make them end up not performing exactly what you intended. Also, with insufficient knowledge of estate laws of New York, you would be unable to utilize the available provisions that are indeed the sweets of estate planning. But this is what an estate planning attorney stands for.
Hiring an estate planning attorney in Greenpoint Brooklyn is highly beneficial to you in several ways:
Your attorney helps you carry out updates when necessary
Your estate planning documents such as your Last Will and Testament, Trust, Power of Attorney, etc. are not things you can create once and for all. As life goes on, your situation most definitely would change: you may acquire new assets, go into a new marriage, have new kids, or experience the loss of a loved one whose name probably was in one of the documents. If your estate planning documents have already been prepared, your attorney would make periodical reviews to check if each document is still consistent with your present situation. If not, he would effect the desired changes. A will can be amended by use of a codicil; the terms of a trust can be adjusted and new assets funded into it. Or in the case your estate becomes tax liable, your attorney may re-evaluate the whole estate plan with the aim of minimizing or avoiding your liabilities.
Ensuring your documents are compliant with state laws
It is important to know that state laws regulating estate planning often change. Working with a knowledgeable estate planning attorney will give you the assurance and confidence that comes with knowing your estate plan is agreeable with the law, and so would be effective.
Your documents would accomplish precisely what you intended
It is one thing to mean a thing; it is another thing to say it precisely as you mean it. The truth is that legal jargon is not as with normal commonplace English usage. Therefore, in attempting to fill out these forms yourself, you may cause your document to say something different from what you meant. The worst part is that most of these mistakes are only realized by your family and the court after you’re gone. Having a legal professional handle these things for you makes you confident that what you want done is done right.
Customizing your will
You can fill out a will template online but remember that estate planning is not one-size-fits-all. You would be told what to do to make the document valid but you would not be advised in terms of decision-making as regards your estate.
A professional estate planning attorney will help tailor your will to suit your personal situation. With their professional guidance, all loop holes are taken care of and your will becomes professional and well customized. They would also help you in acquiring witness signatures and notarizing the will.
Your attorney becomes a trusted go-to for yourself and surviving loved ones
When you have an estate planning attorney working closely with you, they became a trusted source of solution to you and your family. Should you have any question, or your family runs into a jam during your incapacity or death, your attorney can provide answers and explain the situation. Having first-hand knowledge of your estate plan, they are better equipped to assist your personal representative in settling your estate.
Get help from an estate planning attorney near you
It goes without saying that your estate plan will be in the best hands when handled by an estate planning attorney. If you would like to get in touch with an estate planning attorney around Greenpoint Brooklyn, call our law office today.