(720) 863-7755Estate planning is essential for anyone who cares about their and their family’s future. At Peter Loyd Weber & Associates, we are here to ensure that your desires will be adhered to by beneficiaries, banks, the government, and a court of law. Estate planning is not just about writing a will, but it is also about other tools in a lawyer’s toolbox: trusts, guardianships, durable power of attorneys, and many, many more. Please give us a call today to take the important first step in planning for your future at: 720-863-7755.
Aspects of an Estate Plan We Can Do For You
Wills
A will is a basic component everyone thinks of in estate planning. But at Peter Loyd Weber & Associates, we have experience handling complex and simple estates. We delight in getting to know our clients, their families, and their wishes in regards to the totality of their circumstances, not just want they want in their will. These traits help us in creating a through and complete plan for passing on your assets.
Trusts
Creating a trust can be done for all types and varieties of reasons. Maybe you want to create a trust for your children. Maybe you want to create a trust for a new charity. Maybe you want to create a revocable living trust for yourself to better plan for your financial future. Whatever the case may be, we can help you. Further, you may find yourself having to administer a trust, or trying to find a lawyer or bank that can administer the trust for you. At Peter Loyd Weber & Associates, we can help you with all your questions and let you know your rights in regards to trusts.
Guardianships & Conservatorships
Guardianships and conservatorships are a great way to plan for your own or a family member’s future. Whether you want to become a guardian for you child, or you want to create a conservatorship for your elder parent, or you want to plan for your own future, we can do the legal work for you.
Advanced Directives
Planning for unfortunate circumstances can help ease the stress later. These documents are never easy to create as it makes us think about things we would rather not contemplate. However, for the sake of family members and loved ones, it is an important step for you to consider when planning for your estate and your future.
Pre and Post Nuptial Agreements
While not traditionally thought of for planning an estate, these contracts can save a lot of time and stress later. These types of contracts can prevent a lot of arguing and litigation in the future.
Probate and Probate Administration
In actuality, sometimes probating an estate is not the best plan. Rather, doing our best to keep almost all end of life decisions out of probate is a better idea. The reason for this is to keep your decisions and desires out of the hands of a court. However, there are other times that probating an estate is a relatively easy and straightforward process if you have the right legal counsel. If you already find yourself trying to probate a family member’s will, Peter Loyd Weber & Associates has a lot of experience taking care of such matters. Please call us today at 720-863-7755 for a free phone consultation on your probate matter.
Elder Law
Elder Law is not a specific area of law like criminal defense. Rather, Elder Law encompasses many aspects of legal planning for the senior population. At Peter Loyd Weber & Associates, we can held plan for Medicaid eligibility, long term care, and VA benefit eligibility. Planning for your future becomes exponentially important when considering limited financial resources and potentially large financial burdens. Let us help guide you through the legal system to better plan for your future.
Why Have an Estate Plan
At its most basic, an estate plan will protect your belongings, whether they are actual physical items, or moneyed assets. After you have spent so much time and energy into building these assets, you should at least contemplate protecting them for the future. At Peter Loyd Weber & Associates, we can help you prevent your estate from exterior threats. We can ease your worries of your personal and thoughtful decisions being lost in a hospital or court battle. Don’t procrastinate because you feel troubles may be a long way off. We are here to put your mind at ease today. In the field of estate planning, the wise Ben Franklin was right: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
When You Should Make an Estate Plan
As long as you are older than eighteen years old, it is recommended to have an estate plan. People without natural heirs (children or spouses for example) can name beneficiaries (friends or charities) to whom assets will be dispersed. Since estate plans can be used to establish guardianships for minor children, it is recommended that all parents have estate plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happens when I die without a will?
A: When a person dies without a will they have died intestate. When a person dies intestate, their assets are distributed by a predetermined formula to their closest relatives. It is left to the family to handle creditors and to find all of the deceased’s assets. This process is time consuming and imprecise.
Q: Do I need an estate plan?
A: Even in the most basic situations, estate plans are beneficial. Your family may benefit from understanding your wishes when it comes to making a hard decision at the end of life or may be unaware of some assets you own.
Q: I have an old estate plan – should I replace it?
A: You should review your estate plan every couple of years and contact an attorney to revise it if you have experienced a life event. These events include marriage or divorce, the birth of a child, retirement, or changes in your financial situation.
Q: I found a will form online to fill out – why do I need an attorney?
A: A will is only valid if certain conditions are met. A clear and properly executed will helps to prevent a will contest (court cases about the validity or intent of a will). While a handwritten will or an online form is not necessarily invalid, a will properly written and executed by an attorney will be valid and help prevent a will contest.
Q: My old will is fine, I just need to change a few names – can I do that myself?
A: While the changes you make could be legally valid it is strongly recommended you seek the advice of an attorney. Many will contests happen because of changes made to wills. An attorney may prepare a codicil, which securely amends a previous will.
Q: End of life care is expensive. Is there anything I can do now to ease that for myself and my family?
A: Estate planning can ease the burden of assisted living or nursing home costs for individual’s or their families. Often individuals wait too long to address this issue; contact us at (720) 863-7755 or email us at contact@codefenselaw.com for more information.
These are just a few of the Estate and Probate Issues that we can assist our clients with. If you are interested in one of these services or a service not displayed on our website feel free to contact us at (720) 863-7755 today to see how we can help you!
