Family Protection Plan: Level One
This estate plan is ideal for the couple who wants to provide both short term and long term protection for themselves and their children. It includes:
Revocable Trust - eliminates long, costly, and public court proceedings with respect to assets transferred into the trust; gives you the final say as to who gets your property, when and how; protects your children's assets from potential creditors (due to lawsuits or divorce); minimizes estate taxes.
Certification of Trust - establishes your authority to act as Trustee without having to provide a bank or other financial institution with your entire trust document, which might contain sensitive personal information.
Will - leaves your property to the people you designate; nominates trusted executors and guardians for minor children, giving you peace of mind if the unthinkable should happen and you are not around.
Deed - transfers your home into your Revocable Trust.
Change of Ownership Form - avoids tax reassessment of your property.
General Assignment of Property - catch-all document assigning your property to the Revocable Trust (although each asset should also be individually assigned to the trust to be absolutely sure of keeping it out of your personal estate and out of probate).
Community Property Agreement - classifies your property as community property, regardless of record title, to help avoid capital gains at the death of one spouse.
Advance Health Care Directive - directs doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers (as well as family members) regarding your medical treatment and end-of-life preferences if you are incapacitated and unable to make health care decisions for yourself.
Springing Durable Power of Attorney - authorizes your spouse or other trusted person to sign documents and handle financial matters for you if you are incapacitated and unable to manage your own affairs.
Designation of Temporary Guardians for Minor Children - authorizes a trusted neighbor or friend who lives nearby to act as temporary guardian to care for your children if both of you die or are incapacitated; protects your children from even a short stay in the foster care system; operates until permanent guardians are located and can take over.
Exclusion of Certain Persons from Guardianship - excludes those persons you consider unsuitable to be guardians of your children and helps prevent them from successfully challenging your guardianship designation.
Authorization for Custodian to Consent to Minor's Healthcare - authorizes caregivers (nannies, babysitters, relatives, etc.) to consent to medical care for your children if you are temporarily unavailable.
Instructions to Guardian Form - provides essential information to your designated permanent and temporary guardians regarding your children's needs and your particular values and wishes.
Fingerprint Kit - enables you to assist the authorities if your child is missing.
Emergency I.D. Card - wallet card provides the authorities, paramedics, and hospitals with crucial information in case of accident or other emergency (e.g., contact information of family members and personal doctors, allergies to medicines, location of estate planning documents, etc.).
Family Protection Plan Binder - contains copies of all your estate planning documents as well as your wishes for funeral and memorial services, the location of your assets, and any other information you consider important for a trustee, executor, or guardian to know.
Personalized Peace of Mind Meeting - Any time you experience a major life event or have questions about your estate plan, you can schedule a Peace of Mind meeting at no charge. Also, because I am committed to developing a long-term relationship with you and helping you make the best possible decisions for your family, I will review your estate plan three years after it is finalized, at no additional charge. As your assets change, as your family changes, as the law changes, you will continue to have peace of mind.
Family Protection Plan: Level Two
This plan is suitable for the family with a larger estate that needs advanced estate tax protection and/or the family that wants to provide for a special needs child. It may include one or more of the following:
Special Needs Trusts
More Complicated Living Trusts (such as QDOT trusts)
Irrevocable Trust (such as Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts or Intentionally Defective Irrevocable Trusts)
Grantor Retained Trusts (such as Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts or Grantor Retained Unitrusts)
Qualified Personal Residence Trusts
Buy-Sell Agreements
For an additional fee, other forms of charitable planning, business succession planning, lifetime gifting, and tax protection strategies are available.