What is in your plan?
When you think of estate planning you usually think of death and how your property is divided. But there is more to it than just putting together documents. At Dafoe Law, we look at the big picture and take little steps to help make everything work smoothly.
One of the easiest things you can do to make the administration of your estate or trust work smoothly is compile information for the personal representative or trustee. It is easy to overlook certain information. We provide our clients with an organizer to assist in the collection of information.. For example, someone is going to have to cancel your cable subscription or your newspaper subscription. This information is not always readily available to your personal representative or trustee. Other information that should be included is home utilities, vehicles, insurance, funeral information, and many other things. Having this information in one place will make it easier for your trustee or personal representative to wind down your estate. But it is also a very powerful tool if you become incapacitated.
Having the necessary information is important to making things easier for your heirs, but we also look for ways to avoid conflict. Personal property often has sentimental value that is not measurable. At Dafoe Law, we will help you create a personal property memorandum to provide for the distribution of personal property. We also recommend that you have a conversation with your children or heirs about your wishes. We can also include family harmony agreements as part of the estate plan and mediation requirements. While these steps are not guarantees that your heirs will not fight, they are proactive steps we can take.
More Than an Estate Plan
As individuals age, they often are confronted with the question of when they should stop driving. This can be a very difficult discussion, fraught with hard feelings. While there is no legal magic wand that we can waive, Dafoe Law has incorporated the AAA form that allows you to name an individual to talk to you about the difficult topic. So, when your child starts the discussion and your natural response is “who do you think you are?” The answer is “you told me to talk to you.” The hope is that this removes some of the tension and anger.
As modern medicine allows us to live longer, we are dealing with more and more seniors with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other cognitive impairments. To help plan for this, we will create a medical power of attorney and a financial power of attorney. These important documents will allow you to avoid the necessity of a conservatorship or guardianship. It will also allow you to name the person, who will be responsible for your financial decisions if you are unable to make them. We will also help you plan for care. As a life care planning law firm, we are looking to allow all of our clients to age in place for as long as possible. We can put together plans that your fiduciaries can follow, and will also work with your financial advisors to help formulate plans to pay for care.
No matter your age, an estate plan allows you to plan for the worse case scenarios. At Dafoe Law, we look beyond just creating documents and help our clients organize information and prepare for disability and incapacity. These little extras make everything work smoother and allow you peace of mind.
Dafoe Law, PLLC is a Life Care Planning law firm serving the Estate Planning, long-term care, probate, and trust administration needs of clients in Saginaw, Bay, Genesee, Huron and Tuscola Counties. Dafoe Law serves Frankenmuth, Bridgeport, Birch Run, Reese, Millington, Clio, Vassar, Saginaw, Saginaw Township, Freeland, Thomas Township, Spaulding Township, Burt, Bay City, Essexville, Munger, Kochville Township, Caro, Cass City, Sebewaing, Unionville, Pigeon, Bad Axe. Travis I. Dafoe is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorney and WealthCounsel. Dafoe Law, PLLC is also a member of the Life Care Planning Law Firm Association. Start estate plan
