Most people dread the thought of estate planning. We make it simple and painless. 

Wills

Do you have a will? If you are thinking about it, you probably should!

Did you recently get married, have another baby, purchase a new house, or start a new business? When is the last time you took a look at your will?  

Protect your family by protecting your assets. We can assist you.

Click on the Estate Planning Questionnaire below and get started. Contact us if you have any questions along the way and then knock it off that "To Do" list by sending the completed document back to us. We will turn it around in no time and explain all of the nitty gritty before you sign off.   

Powers of Attorney

Powers of Attorney allow you to designate another person or persons to act on your behalf. Although recommended and useful documents, do not underestimate the power and responsibility of this role. Let us assist you with deciding on your powers of attorney.

Continuing Power of Attorney for Property

Your attorney for property can do, on your behalf, any and all acts, which you could do if capable, except make a will, subject to any conditions and restrictions listed in the power of attorney document. You can have single or joint attorney(s) acting together or severally, and you can appoint substitute attorney(s).

Because we often draft powers of attorney for property that come into effect as of the date of execution of the document, it must be specified whether or not the power of attorney is continuing. A continuing power of attorney continues into incapacity so that it may be exercised before and during any incapacity on the donor's part to manage his or her property. 

Power of Attorney for Personal Care

This is an authorization for your attorney to make decisions concerning your personal care. Again, you can have single or joint attorney(s) acting together or severally, and you can appoint substitute attorney(s).

The power of attorney for personal care does not come into effect until you are unable to make personal care decisions for yourself. There is a clause that deals with when the power of attorney comes into effect and can say something such as: "this power of attorney for personal care comes into effect only in circumstances where, due to mental incapacity on my part, certified in writing by the physician treating me at the time, I am incapable of managing my personal care."

It is important to understand that your attorney can make decisions on your behalf with respect to your health care, but also nutrition, shelter, clothing, hygiene, safety, consent or refusal of consent to treatment, and cessation or continuation of measures whereby your life may be artificially prolonged. You will have to trust that your attorney can make decisions for you that you are mentally incapable of making during periods when (i) you are not able to understand information that is relevant to making a decision concerning your own health care, nutrition, shelter, clothing, hygiene or safety, or (ii) you are not able to appreciate the reasonably foreseeable consequences of a decision or lack of decision with respect to your health care, nutrition, shelter, clothing, hygiene or safety, or in the simplest case, (iii) you have been found to be legally incapable of personal care.

You should also consider whether you would like to include a Heroic Measures clause in your power of attorney for personal care. If the situation should arise in which there is no reasonable expectation of your recovery from extreme physical or mental disability, do you want to direct that you be allowed to die and not be kept alive by medication, artificial life support systems or Heroic Measures?  Or, perhaps you want all possible Heroic Measures to be taken. Or, maybe you would prefer to leave this clause out altogether.

Powers of attorney are rather simple documents but grant a great deal of power and authority to the person(s) you choose to act on your behalf. We can coach you through the reasons that you may choose one person over another, have your attorney(s) act jointly or severally and/or whether or not you should include special conditions, restrictions or other clauses.

estate administration

Have you been appointed an estate executor and have difficulty figuring out where to start? Let us help! We can simplify this process for you. We can assist you with the probate application, payment of debts, financial reporting, house transfers, liquidation of assets, the set up of trusts, business transfers and much more without underestimating the difficulty of what you are going through.