Estate Planning

Family: Your Greatest Investment

It is often tempting to push aside worries about the future, but by planning today, you are giving yourself and your family an opportunity for greater success. It can be confusing to know how best to provide for your family after you’re gone, and we are here to help you turn your vision for your family into a reality.  

We want to help you make sure your family is provided for when you’re gone, whether that is education for your children or grandchildren, care for a special needs child, protection from harmful relatives, or other situations. ​

The best estate plan for one person may not be the best estate plan for someone else, and we are committed to providing you with a custom plan tailored for your unique needs. We can help you draft wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, healthcare directives, and special needs trusts.

Wills

Every will should accomplish three tasks, 

  • distributing your property to designated people or organizations; 
  • appointing an executor (person or entity to distribute said property according to your wishes);  
  • and providing for the care and well-being of minor children by appointing a guardian, and a trustee if necessary. ​

How to best accomplish these three important tasks will vary from person to person, depending upon your individual goals and values. We want to help you assess those objectives, and then craft an individualized plan that reflects your needs.

Trusts

Trusts are not only for the very wealthy. They can be extremely beneficial for many people. A trust can accomplish the same three critical tasks of a will. However, trusts offer several additional advantages over wills. 

  • Trusts can allow you to avoid probate by keeping assets out of the probate estate. By avoiding probate, trusts can also protect the privacy of your the contents of your estate.
  • Trusts allow you more control over when and how the beneficiaries (often your children) receive property.
  • Trusts allow efficient gifting and can help with minimizing estate taxes.

As with wills, the particulars of a trust will vary greatly according to your personal goals. In creating your trust, we will help you assess your goals and values, and incorporate that into a trust that accomplishes exactly what you need. ​

Packages

Eifert Law offers estate planning packages for individuals and families. These packages include a will, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, a living will/healthcare directive, and other documents depending on the package selected. 

Powers of attorney grant decision-making authority to trusted family members or friends, generally in the event of incapacity.

A Living Will/Healthcare Directive contains your instructions regarding end of life care and removal of life support. You can provide your loved ones with certainty and peace by clearly laying out your wishes regarding end of life care.  

​For the greatest value, we usually package all of these documents together. However, if you are in need of a particular individual document, we are happy to accommodate you.