Estate Planning

Our estate planning practice is focused on two primary objectives: (1) ensuring that the right people receive the right assets at the right time, and (2) minimizing the taxes triggered upon a client’s death. If you have assets worth more than $1,000,000 (including life insurance that you own and retirement plan assets), you may be facing an estate tax liability. Estate taxes are, in many cases, avoidable with proper planning and time to implement the planning.

Our practice includes analyzing the ownership of assets to ensure that the maximum amount can pass free of tax. In addition, we explore with clients lifetime options for reducing the tax bill triggered at death, including lifetime gifts to family members or trusts for their benefit.

Our attorneys are familiar with using any of the sophisticated estate planning “tools” that may be appropriate, including Wills, trusts (whether lifetime or testamentary), family partnerships or LLCs, grantor retained annuity trusts or unitrusts, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable lead trusts.

The key to a successful plan is taking the time to determine where you are and what objectives you have. With time and an organized plan, it is often possible to pass assets to your family with a greatly reduced or eliminated estate tax cost.