plan-your-exit.com 734-466-9277
Estate Planning
We all have a legal-life that will cost us if we are caught unprepared.
Our legal system was designed to react to a legal crisis. Lawyers charge a high fee to clean up the legal-life mess. This is an expensive and stressful way of managing your legal- life. Our proactive holistic approach is a lot cheaper.
Exit Plan
Believe or not, everyone has an estate to organize. There is a common misconception, unless you
are very wealthy, you do not need estate planning. Every adult has 10 areas of life they need to
prepare to avoid leaving an expensive mess for loved-ones to manage.
Estate planning is essentially about three things:
1. Who can legally make decisions for you,
2. How do you transfer your stuff after death and
3. What are your instructions and desires for post-
death management?
Exit planning is a legal process of anticipating issues, organizing your life and
making an exit plan. The goal is to ensure that you can stay in control and your wishes are carried
out. You will, of course, want this to happen with the least amount paid in taxes, legal fees, and probate court costs. Please contact our team to discuss your needs and goals.
A post-divorce renaissance
Post-divorce it is essential to review your estate planning documents to see if they still reflect your wishes. Or, if you haven’t drawn up an estate plan, post-divorce might be the best time to do it. You
must update your documents to make sure you have the right people making your decisions, if necessary.
You must update your beneficiaries after a divorce. If your previous intentions no longer reflect your
wishes, be sure to update your paperwork. In addition to your will and any trusts, this also includes
the beneficiaries on your retirement accounts, deeds, and insurance policies. Although Michigan law
removes a former spouse from your will, it’s crucial to be aware that your divorce decree doesn’t
automatically change your beneficiary designations or trusts. It also doesn’t alter your contingent
beneficiaries. In the event you fail to make the necessary updates, and something happens to you, your ex-spouse could receive the proceeds in your retirement account or a life insurance policy, whether you want them to or not.
Preparing my parents for the inevitable
One of the most common questions asked of estate planning attorneys relates to the avoidance of probate. Probate is the formal and often required legal process for administering an estate after death. Probate administration can be time consuming, expensive, and overwhelming to navigate through. You can proactively prepare for your parents to avoid probate. Save your future stress and expense by being proactive with your parent’s estate planning. Contact us to help get your parents organized and prepared in all ten of the areas you will need to manage.
Protecting my special needs dependent
If you are the parent or guardian of a child with special needs, you may be questioning the best way
to support their life going forward. You may be conscious of the fact that owning too much wealth
directly could disqualify them from important government programs, which is why many people in this situation consider special needs trusts. Working with an estate planning attorney can help you to determine which type of special needs trust is most applicable to your situation. Meet with our
knowledgeable estate planning attorney to discuss the structure of a special needs trust to create a
customized and effective plan to preserve your special needs person’s government benefits.
In order to proactively prepare to legally protect loved ones or yourself, it is crucial to understand your legal-life. Answer the following five questions to see how prepared you currently are to face future legal-life challenges:
If I become legally incapacitated. I have formally nominated an Agent to manage my financial affairs. This document has been updated in the last three years or I have annually signed a reaffirmation form.
If I become legally incapacitated, I have formally nominated a Patient Advocate to manage my health care and/or end of life decision-making. This document has been updated in the last three years or I have annually signed a reaffirmation form.
If I become incapacitated or should die, I have signed a written nomination of guardian and conservator to protect my minor children. The nomination includes a care instruction love letter.
I have written verifications of my intended beneficiaries.
If I should perish, I have organized my assets and created a clear plan of distribution for my Agent to follow.
A no answer to any of the above questions could result in an expensive legal mess for others to clean up.
Remember there are two things in life you never want to scrimp on, your parachute and your legal-life care plan. You will probably only use each once and you want to be darn sure they work when you need them .
Finally, an estate-plan system for everyone. Legal-life care planning is the next evolution in estate planning. I have created a proactive holistic system to help clients get organized and prepared, while avoiding high legal fees, probate and reducing stress.
We help singles, couples and families prepare for a legal-life crisis in the following areas:
Probate avoidance
Organize assets
A real estate protection plan
Financial incapacity plan
Wealth transfer plan
Trust Administration
Child Care / Special needs plan
A beneficiary plan
A digital estate plan
Health care incapacity plan
Post death plan
All Probate Matters
Our law firm will handle estate planning and probate matters from the routine to the complex. For 33 years we have helped clients get organized and proactively prepared. We can help you! All you need to do is contact us to schedule a consultation. Our system will help you create a legal-life care plan to meet your life objectives. Do your loved ones a favor contact us to get started today.
The Law Offices of David C. Brunell | The Proactive Attorney
39111 Six Mile Road, Livonia, MI | 7 West Square Lake, Bloomfield Hills, MI
(734) 466-9277 | david@plan-your-exit.com
Serving clients in Southeast Michigan for over 33 years
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