Trusts & Estate Planning
How We Can Help
We help create your Trust and comprehensive Estate Planning solutions tailored to your specific needs and goals. Our dedicated team is here to support you in developing personalized Living Wills, Powers of Attorney, Health Care Directives, and robust Trusts and Estate Plans.
You're Unique, So Your Plan Should Be Too.
We listen carefully to what you need. We work closely with you to create a strategy that effectively protects your assets and ensures the future well-being of your family. With our guidance, we can help you develop and maintain family privacy and fulfillment of your your wishes.
Protecting Your Family And Your Future
What is an "Estate Plan"?
You don't need a mansion in Beverly Hills to need an Estate Plan. Your greatest asset is your independence and autonomy. An "Estate Plan" allows us to prepare a variety of documents to make sure the state or county doesn't step in to control your wishes during your lifetime and following your life.
Estate Planning is the planning of your estate for after your life. Your estate includes all of your money (savings, investments, etc.), your life insurance, your house, other real estate, your business, all of your personal property, and even your pets. By planning what you want to happen to these things before your death, you can guarantee that your life’s work will garner the respect it deserves after your death by having your wishes honored. Your estate plan will also protect you as you get older, making sure you are safe and taken care of. In addition to this, estate planning helps protect your children, family members, and pets amid a hard time, helping them avoid the stress of planning your estate after you are gone. Our team can help you achieve all that you want to with your legacy and to protect it.
What is a will?
I like to say a will is a "Dear Judge Letter." A will is not dispositive and must be administered in a process called Probate. Your Last Will and Testament describes how you wish your affairs to be handled and how your assets will be distributed following your death during the probate process.
What is a Trust?
I hear clients ask “Why do I Need a Trust” every day. A Trust holds your money or property in a special way. It helps you avoid probate and keeps your plans private. It's a strong tool to help you and your family.
Take a look at my recent Article regarding What to Expect at an "Estate Plan Consultation"
What can our team do for you?
We develop your personalized plan using a variety of documents such as Wills, Trusts, Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney to meet your individual needs and goals. We help develop the plan to best protects your assets and your family’s future; while maintaining family privacy and keeping control of your wishes.
We discuss what your values are, what your needs are and how your needs and the needs of your family can be protected and represented in your Estate Plan.
Our unique law firm experience is a 5-step proven process you will be 100% thrilled with.
Unlike other firms, we don't just sell documents, we deliver peace of mind. We communicate with you, listen to you, and we treat you with the same care and respect we'd want for our own family.
We have streamlined the estate plan process, so you can spend less time at your lawyer’s office
and more time living your life!
The JakobLegal Difference: 5-step process:
1. We Get to Know Eachother
You will be assigned a Client Coordinator who will immediately begin helping you to prepare for your appointment. You will chat with us about your goals, concerns, and your family. We will schedule your signing date so you'll know your goal is in sight.
2. Meet with your Attorney
At your attorney meeting, once our client agreement is signed, we will begin our promised attorney/customer service experience. We will curate the best plan to achieve your goals and ease your concerns at this comprehensive appointment.
3. Personalized Plan Developed
Our team will roll up their sleeves to begin your personalized and detailed plan design. It will be developed and tailored to your exact needs, and the appropriate documents will be drafted.
4. Signing Meeting
At the signing, we'll go over every detail and ensure you fully comprehend your plan. We simplify complex legal jargon, making it accessible to you and your family, so you don't need legal expertise to understand how it benefits you.
5. Life Happens:
We are all human and life has its unexpected twists and turns. Our promise to you is
we will help you along the way and be here for your family when you need it the most.
Effective Trusts & Estate Planning Services
A trust may offer you a variety of advantages, such as:
- Avoiding Probate
- Protecting Adult Children from their Potential Mistakes
- Minimizing or Avoiding Tax Consequences
- Keeping Financial Information Private
- Setting Money Aside for Your Children and Grand Children
- Setting Aside Money for Potential Disability or Long-Term Care
- Assisting with Supplemental Needs or Special Needs
- Obtaining Medicaid for yourself or a loved one
Types Of Trusts
- Revocable Living Trust
- Living Trust
- Joint Trust
- Spendthrift Trust
- Irrevocable Trust
- Medicaid Trust
- Land Trust
- Testamentary Trust
Links and Resources
Our friend John has a job at Publix. He has a good job, a comfortable salary, and a nice home. However, John has never thought about what would happen if he lost his job or became ill or injured. One day, John is involved in a car accident and is unable to work for several…
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When starting a new marriage, there is much to think about: communication, living conditions, holiday plans, financial stability, and the wedding itself. However, something often overlooked by new spouses is the importance of creating an estate plan. It can be hard to think about what would happen if your spouse became ill, incapacitated, or worse, but an estate plan can ease those difficult times. An estate plan typically includes a will or trust, but the most important documents for a new couple are Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney.
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Here are key lessons from the Lenos’ experience: 1. Spouses Can’t Automatically Step In: Many believe that being married means their spouse can automatically manage their finances or healthcare decisions if they become incapacitated. This isn’t true. After turning 18, no one, not even a spouse, can manage these affairs without prior consent (through estate planning documents) or court involvement.
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Although television and movies are entertaining with their conflicts and cliffhangers, Real-life estate administration is less dramatic than Hollywood would have you believe
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While finding the time during our busy lives may be challenging, having a well-thought-out and carefully drafted plan to protect our children is essential! Trusts offer a unique opportunity to leave a lasting impact on our children’s lives.
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Today, it is common for adults to be in long-term committed relationships but be unmarried. If you have a life partner and are unmarried, it is imperative that you have an estate plan if you want your partner to receive your money or property at your death or if you want them to make financial or medical decisions on your behalf if you are alive but unable to make your own decisions. If you rely on your state’s laws, an unmarried partner will likely receive nothing at your death and will have no authority to make decisions on your behalf.
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Ask yourself:
● How well do I understand options to protect my money, property, family, or business if I have a medical emergency, a short- or long-term incapacity, or after death?
● What is my financial situation regarding property, income, or debt?
● Is my family structure complicated?
● Am I undecided about my wishes (how to divide my money and property, when to distribute it, or what to include in an advanced directive)?
● Will my family get along if my will is unclear?
● Will someone inherit before they understand the value of their inheritance?
● What if your adult child is on the brink of divorce, will the soon-to-be ex-spouse receive anything from an inheritance?
Do I want a will or a trust? If you die without a will it is known as dying intestate. While many believe that their close family members “know what they want”, it doesn’t necessarily go your way without a valid will. Instead, their money and property are distributed according to Florida’s intestate succession laws, during a Probate action.
But even if someone is fine with the state-imposed inheritance laws, a beneficiary will be required to go through the expensive and long process called “Probate.”.
The law can only assume what you would want, but it may cause your wishes to go haywire. For instance, imagine you have been in a relationship without a formal marriage certificate for many years and love your partner dearly. If you pass without a will, that partner may not inherit according to intestacy laws.
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Your car may be one of the most valuable assets you own, but what will happen if you pass away during the lease term or before the car is paid off?
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Many folks think that the person who looks after your children must be the same person who handles their inheritance. But that’s a myth! You can pick a loving, caring guardian for your children and choose someone else entirely to manage the money side of things.
Read More“Leave A Legacy, Not A Mess”
Emerald Publications – September, 2007
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