We offer important and strategically developed estate planning services to assist clients with planning their futures. Our expertise in real estate, insurance, business formation and lending provides an excellent background for effective estate and business transition/succession planning. Our estate planning services can range from basic and inexpensive Wills to complex trusts and probate litigation.
We provide the following estate planning and probate services in both Wisconsin and Illinois:
A Will details how a person wants assets to be distributed at the time of death. It is used if a probate proceeding is necessary to transfer assets to the beneficiaries after death.
Trusts are used for a variety of reasons. A trust is helpful when there are minor children, or parents do not want children to inherit assets at age eighteen. A trust is used to facilitate the transfer of assets at death, and in many cases may eliminate the need for a probate proceeding. More complex trusts may be used for estate (death) tax planning, planning for a special needs child, or in second marriage situations
A financial power of attorney is a lifetime document. In the event a person is incapacitated, the designated agent will have the authority to make all financial decisions for the incapacitated person.
A health care power of attorney is also a lifetime document. In the event a person is incapacitated, the designated agent will have the authority to make all health care decisions for the incapacitated person.
A Declaration to Physician, commonly known as a Living Will, is also a lifetime document. It is used to give specific health care instructions to a physician in specific medical situations. It is usually used in conjunction with a health care power of attorney.
Many individuals are able to title their assets and attach beneficiary designations to assets so as to eliminate the need for a probate proceeding at the time of death. We can assure our clients that their assets are titled and designated appropriately to achieve this goal.
Sometimes an asset, often real estate, is owned by more than one person, or more than one family unit. These agreements can detail how the asset is to be managed by the joint owners and assure that the process is clear and easy in the event one owner dies or simply wants to leave the joint ownership arrangement.
If the assets of a deceased person are not able to be transferred by non-probate methods (through jointly-owned assets, beneficiary designations, or a trust), a probate proceeding will be necessary to transfer the assets to beneficiaries. We can assist in all aspects of these proceedings.
There may be instances when a person is not satisfied with how another person’s probate proceedings are being conducted. Situations may include objecting to a Will, filing a claim in the estate, or questioning how a Personal Representative is handling the estate administration. We represent clients in such disputes in the probate court.