Estate Planning - One Minute Guide
IF YOU HAVE AN ESTATE PLAN: 
Five Simple Questions That Can Help You Determine If Your Estate Plan Is Current.
- Have you reviewed your estate plan since the 2001 tax law changes (EGTRRA)?
- Do you have an updated will?
- Are you aware of how Trusts fit into your estate plan - and are you sure that you have the right one in place?
- Have you established a Power of Attorney, a Guardian for minor children, and/or a Living Will?
- Have you revised your estate plan since any significant life change - marriage, divorce, birth of a children, birth of grandchildren?
IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ESTATE PLAN:
Five Facts You Should Know
- An updated Will provides more than just an asset distribution strategy - it helps ensure that you, not the state, are the ones making decisions for your future.
- Proper estate conservation strategies can help provide protection against litigation or creditors, including malpractice litigation.
- EGTRRA rules are only in place until 2010. Since no one can predict if these laws will remain in tact, an estate strategy can help you strategize for the short term and hedge against changes in the long term.
- Even households that are exempt from estate taxes - estate conservation strategies can potentially help reduce tax consequences for yourself or your heirs.
- Strategies such as retitling assets and charitable giving can be designed to increase the legacy you leave to your beneficiaries.
- Estate Planning through the use of insurance and other financial products.
- We do not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax and/or legal advisors regarding your particular circumstances