Everyone needs an estate plan to protect their family. An estate plan is critical regardless of your age, marital status, or the size of your assets. No two families are alike, thus, no two estate plans are exactly the same. Seif & McNamee will tailor an estate plan to meet your specific needs and goals. We use simple or complex wills, trusts, probate avoidance tools or techniques, and power of attorney agreements.
If your estate plan is carefully constructed and frequently updated, then it will avoid excess taxes and ensure your final wishes are accomplished. Often, your savings on Ohio estate taxes will far exceed the costs of attorneys fees for a comprehensive estate plan. A will or trust is critical if you have minor children to make clear who is to care for your children upon your death and to ensure they are financially provided for until they reach an appropriate age.
The failure to have a comprehensive plan can cause distress to your loved ones. This is an inevitable and unfortunate result of the failure to properly plan your final affairs. Especially, when you consider that a up to date estate plan will alleviate most, if not all, of your family’s stress about your final wishes for all of your assets and liabilities after you are gone.
Probate is usually a lengthy, expensive process where beneficiaries acquire the title and ownership of assets from a deceased relative or friend. Once the probate court determines a person’s right to personal or real property, then this decision is final and no future claims against your estate will be recognized. The transfer of assets through the probate process is often the least convenient, inefficient, slow, and most costly option. We can help minimize or eliminate the need for probate if your plan is complete and properly maintained. Unfortunately, some family situations cannot avoid probate and require probate to ensure that a deceased’s final wishes are carried out despite very careful and well planned estates.
Our fees for these services are provided on a flat fee basis and/or hourly fee basis depending on the scope of legal services requested by our clients.