Wills and Trusts Designed Around What Matters Most

A thoughtfully prepared estate plan can help protect your wishes, provide for the people you care about and create a clearer path for the future. At Dell Law Firm, we take a relationship-driven approach to planning. We listen carefully, explain your options and help you create a plan designed around your family, assets and goals.

Since 2010, our firm has served individuals and families throughout the Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair communities, including Greene, Putnam, Morgan and Baldwin counties. From our Greensboro office, we provide personalized guidance with the warmth and familiarity of a local law firm.

Life changes, and your estate plan may need to change with it. Our attorneys can help you create new wills and trusts, review existing documents, and make appropriate updates as your family and circumstances evolve.

Which Estate Planning Documents Do You Need?

There is no single estate plan that works for everyone. The appropriate documents depend on your family, finances, property and long-term goals. A comprehensive plan may include:

• Last will and testament: A will provides instructions for distributing property and names the person you want to administer your estate. It may also nominate guardians for minor children.
• Revocable living trust: A revocable trust allows you to retain control of the trust assets during your lifetime and provide instructions for their management and distribution. Assets properly transferred to the trust may pass outside probate.
• Irrevocable trust: An irrevocable trust may be appropriate for certain asset preservation, tax, long-term care or family planning goals. Because these trusts generally offer less flexibility, they should be created only after careful consideration of their terms and consequences.
• Financial power of attorney: This document authorizes someone you trust to handle designated financial and legal matters if you need assistance or become unable to manage them yourself.
• Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care: This document allows you to name a healthcare agent and record your preferences concerning medical treatment if you cannot communicate your decisions.

Our attorneys will explain the purpose, advantages and limitations of each option so you can make informed decisions about the documents that belong in your plan.

How Can a Trust Help With Probate?

Probate is the court-supervised process used to administer an estate and transfer certain property after death. Depending on the estate and the circumstances involved, the process may require substantial time, documentation and expense.

A properly created and funded revocable living trust may allow assets held by the trust to pass to the designated beneficiaries without going through probate. However, signing a trust document alone is not enough. Property generally must be transferred into the trust, and beneficiary designations and ownership arrangements should be coordinated with the overall estate plan.

Our attorneys can help you determine whether a trust is appropriate, prepare the necessary documents, and explain how to fund and maintain it properly. We can also provide guidance concerning trust administration after the person who created the trust dies.

Create a Plan With Confidence

Whether you need to prepare your first will, establish a trust or update an existing estate plan, Dell Law Firm can help you understand your options and create a plan that reflects what matters most to you.

Call our Greensboro office at 706-453-4800 or send us a message through our online contact form to schedule a consultation.