Estate Planning

Hanten & Associates can help in preparing estate plans to meet the long-term needs and concerns of clients and their families. Our estate planning services include the following:

  • Power of Attorney
  • Guardianship
  • Executor Services
  • Preparing Medicaid plans and applications
  • Health Care Proxies
  • Review of life insurance and long term care insurance needs
  • Gift planning

At Hanten & Associates, our lawyers will work closely with you to analyze your financial and health care situation and fully understand your personal concerns.

We will help you establish comprehensive estate plan that may include a last will and testament, tax minimization strategies, living will, health care proxy, guardianship for minor children and durable power of attorney. Once your estate plan is finalized, we will ensure that all necessary documents are fully executed.

In addition, we will work with you to ensure that your estate plan evolves to meet any new needs resulting from life events such as the birth of a child or moving to another state.

Benefits of Estate Planning

Having a comprehensive estate plan is an important way to define how your assets will be distributed upon your death, provide for the guardianship of minor children and ensure that your wishes will be followed should you become incapacitated. Minimize or eliminate estate taxes. We can develop thoughtful and careful estate plans that help you and your children avoid or minimize tax liabilities.

Avoid probate. We can assist you in creating a right estate plan that will help you to avoid going through the probate process. Probate adds unnecessary expense, takes time, and makes estate matters public record. Where there is conflict among beneficiaries or heirs, it can also lead to costly probate litigation.

Consider gifts. If you choose to consider gifts during your lifetime, we can help you understand the tax implications of gifts during your lifetime using family limited partnerships, limited liability companies, grantor retained annuity trusts, qualified personal residential trusts, sale to intentionally defective grantor trusts, self-cancelling instrument notes & private life annuities.

Plan for nursing home care. An estate plan should involve a discussion about protecting your assets in the event that nursing home care becomes necessary.