Hedeker Law

When asked, most people will admit to understanding the importance of having an estate plan in place as well as understanding the purpose of an estate plan. Despite this, over half of all Americans do not have a plan in place. One of the most commonly given reasons for the lack of planning boils down to the simple fact that estate planning is a rather mysterious concept that can be intimidating for the uninitiated. In an effort to encourage more people to get started with their estate plan by taking some of the mystery out of the process, the estate [Read more…]

Like most people, you are probably aware of the need to have an estate plan in place that dictates how your estate assets are to be distributed in the event of your death. Hopefully, you also recognize the need to have an experienced estate planning attorney assist you in the creation of that plan. That may not be the only time you need an estate planning attorney though. On the contrary, consider the following five additional reasons why you might need estate planning lawyers at some point in your life. Petitioning for Guardianship At some point in your life, you [Read more…]

Most people understand that having an estate plan in place is important. Despite acknowledging this, less than half of all Americans actually have a plan.  If you are among those who have taken the time to create your estate plan, you are a step ahead of many of your friends and neighbors. More importantly, you can rest easy knowing that you, your loved ones, and your assets are all protected. Or can you? If you created your plan several years ago, and you have not updated your plan since it was created, it may not provide you the level of [Read more…]

Although you may not realize it, one of the most important aspects of creating your estate plan is appointing the right people to fill the fiduciary positions within your plan. In fact, one of the most common reasons for an estate plan to fail to work as expected is choosing the wrong person for an important position within the plan. People frequently appoint a spouse, family member, or close friend to fiduciary positions based solely on the close relationship. The problem often lies in the fact that most people do not really know what these fiduciary roles entail nor the [Read more…]

Have you put off creating your estate plan because you don’t know where to start? Or maybe because you aren’t sure what components you should include in your plan? If either, or both, of those apply to you, you are not alone. Surveys tell us that over half of all Americans have yet to create an estate plan, despite understanding the importance of having one in place. Like you, most of those people admit that not knowing where to start and/or what to include in the plan is the reason for their procrastination. Working one on one with an experienced [Read more…]

Estate planning, when done properly, involves a number of inter-related goals and objectives that all come together in one cohesive plan. Although the primary reason for your estate plan might be to ensure that your estate assets are distributed according to your wishes after you are gone, that is likely not your only goal. In addition, there are a number of other considerations that can have a direct impact on that goal. For example, have you considered the impact your estate’s liquidity will have on your overall estate plan? To ensure that you do, the estate planning lawyers at Hedeker [Read more…]