A comprehensive and effective estate plan must serve your needs during your lifetime and after your passing. It is a bundle of legal documents that detail who you want to make financial, legal and health decisions if you should become incapacitated and can no longer make those decisions for yourself, and acts as a guide to assist in making those decisions. It also directs how your assets are maintained and utilized during your lifetime, and what will happen to those assets after you pass. Proper planning now can help minimize taxes and probate fees in the future, and can reduce the burden on your heirs and other family members. Indeed, the greatest gift that you can give to the people that you love and the causes that you hold dear is to ensure that you have in place an estate plan to secure your life and your legacy!
Counseling
Counseling is perhaps the most important aspect of estate planning. During our meetings with you, we will talk with you in detail to understand your needs for your lifetime, your family dynamics, and personal goals for your life and legacy. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration besides the distribution of your assets, including guardianship or conservatorship for minors or individuals with special needs or disabilities, choosing the right fiduciaries, and making any charitable bequests. We will discuss your assets and financial situation as well as the financial goals for your lifetime and beyond. We will then provide you with guidance on how best to secure your needs and achieve your goals.
About Kristen
About Kristen M. Fritz, Esq.
In addition to her active litigation practice, Kristen supports several organizations dedicated to serving the public interest . . .
Helping individuals, couples and families protect and secure their life and legacy is our priority. Whether it is creating a will, setting up a trust, discussing asset protection strategies, business succession planning, or estate administration, you can be secure in the knowledge that we will continue to provide sound advice now, and as your needs evolve and change.
Drafting
A well-crafted comprehensive estate plan is customized to address you and your family’s personal and financial goals and will include a Last Will and Testament, an Advanced Health Care Directive and HIPPA Authorization, a General Durable Power of Attorney, and (in most cases) one or more Trusts. More specialized plans can be crafted to take into consideration such issues as adult children with disabilities, special or supplemental needs trusts, pre and post-marital planning, non-marital relationship planning, business succession planning, and/or planned giving. After our consultations, we will draft all of the documents needed to legally ensure that your needs and goals are met.
Our Philosophy
Our Philosophy
Our services are personal and tailored to you and your needs, and we develop relationships for the long-term, based on trust . . .
Funding
The final, but critical component of estate planning is funding. Once a Trust is established, it is necessary to “fund” it by transferring your assets to the Trust. We will assist you when it comes to transferring your assets into your trust including, but not limited to, real estate, financial accounts, and business interests.
Asset Protection
The focus of asset protection is on guarding your assets from creditors, seizures, and other losses during your lifetime through specific legal strategies and other forms of financial planning. Some of the more common forms of asset protection include irrevocable trusts, limited liability companies (LLC), family limited partnerships (FLP), and insurance policies. Discussing asset protection as part of your estate planning is very important, and we will work with you to ensure the protection of your hard-earned assets – in the present and after your death.
Contact Us
How Can We Help?
Want to know more about how we can assist you in planning and securing a future for you and your family? Just ask.