Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning Service

Clawson & Clawson’s wills, trusts and estate planning services help all family structures. Whether you are planning for your minor children or are in the midst of retirement, we will create a unique estate plan to match your needs.

We offer comprehensive estate planning services, including:

• Wills
• Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts
• Powers of Attorney - Financial, Health Care & for Minors
• Healthcare Directives

WHO NEEDS AN ESTATE PLAN?

Nearly everyone. A proper estate plan ensures a smoother transition for your family and is your opportunity to protect them and control your legacy. It gives you the power to decide what happens to the things you've earned, inherited, and accumulated. If you have children, it allows you to have peace of mind that they will be cared for by the people of your choosing. While no one enjoys thinking about life after he/she is gone, your family will be grateful that you did.

WHY DO I NEED A WILL OR TRUST?

Very simply, a will tells the world to whom you want to leave your assets. Without a will, the state decides by following intestacy laws. This includes important matters like caring for your children--if you are a parent to young children, an estate plan is essential for you to designate guardians and put people in place to love and care for your children if you cannot.

A trust works to place conditions on how your assets will be distributed. It is also a useful planning tool to avoid the probate process, protect assets for the intended beneficiaries, and provide a more comprehensive plan to deal with the future unknowns.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE ESTATE PLANNING PROCESS?

Before you agree to work with us, we will meet with you to understand your needs and goals. Prior to our meeting, you will complete a questionnaire that identifies your assets, liabilities, and intended beneficiaries. We will review your responses during our initial free consultation. At the end of the consultation, we will tell you the cost of your estate plan. If you decide to retain us, you will sign a retention letter and pay half of the cost upfront. Once the estate plan documents are complete, we will meet with you again for signing and collect the remainder of the fee. The entire process can take as little as a couple of weeks.

COMMON ESTATE PLANNING PACKAGES CAN INCLUDE:

WILL PACKAGE

If you only have a few assets and are comfortable with outright distributions, the Will Package could be right for you. This package includes:

• Attorney Consultation
• Last Will & Testament
• Healthcare Directive (Living Will)
• Medical Durable Power of Attorney
• General Durable Power of Attorney
• Disposition of Remains

TRUST PACKAGE

The Trust Package helps ensure your beneficiaries receive your assets with appropriate controls and conditions. This package includes:

• Attorney Consultation
• Revocable Trust
• Pour-Over Will
• Healthcare Directive (Living Will)
• Medical Durable Power of Attorney
• General Durable Power of Attorney
• Disposition of Remains

OTHER ESTATE PLANNING SERVICES

If you do not need an estate planning package, there are many ways we can still help. Clawson & Clawson, LLP offers stand-alone documents like Powers of Attorney.

For example, a PARENT’S OR GUARDIAN’S DELEGATION OF POWERS document. This is a document that allows a short-term caretaker to make decisions on a minor child’s behalf. Parents often sign Parent’s or Guardian’s Delegation of Powers if the parents are traveling without the child or during short-term crises. This document permits the caretaker to seek medical attention on the child’s behalf or to communicate with the child’s school. A parent can limit the powers they give to the caretaker.

We are also available to review existing estate plans. During this review session, we will look at your documents and answer any questions you have along with providing advice on next steps.

Please schedule your initial free consultation with Clawson & Clawson, LLP at (719) 602-5888.