Protect Your Family's Future with Our Assistance
A comprehensive estate plan can help you secure a better future for your loved ones after your passing. While most people are aware of this fact, many put off thinking about building their estate plan for their own reasons. Some may find approaching the matter to be too difficult, while others may not think it's a necessary and immediate concern for their lives at the moment.
At The Browne Firm, we know that there's never a better time to think about the future than right now. A comprehensive estate plan can keep your family from having to make difficult decisions about your end-of-life medical care without truly knowing what your wishes are. It can also help them move through probate court more quickly – or avoid it altogether – to settle your estate as soon as possible, leaving them free to grieve their loss without unnecessary legal complications.
For more information about what our estate planning attorney in the Bronx can do for you, schedule a consultation with The Browne Firm by calling (914) 290-5622 or by contacting us online.
Plan Your Estate with a Will or Trust in Place
If you are seeking assurance that your property will pass on to your loved ones according to specific instructions you wish to prepare, establishing a will or trust may be your best option. These documents are the foundation of your estate plan, and The Browne Firm can help you carefully prepare them to ensure that your loved ones get as much out of your estate as possible.
There are also other considerations for estate taxes and probate that our attorney can explain. For example, many people choose a trust in addition to a will because the trust allows the property funded into it to transfer to beneficiaries without probate proceedings. This sharply contrasts with a will, which requires probate court to settle property belonging to the estate. By having both in place, you can rest assured that any property that can't be funded into your trust – or is unintentionally left out – won't be treated as intestate estate property.
Of course, your will and trust can do more than account for your belongings. If you have minor children or a person with special needs in your care, you can select a relative or loved one you trust to care for this person should you pass away. By the same token, you can also assign ownership of beloved pets to trusted loved ones in a will or trust.
Advanced Healthcare Directive
Our estate planning attorney in the Bronx can assist clients with arranging their end-of-life medical care for a time when they may not have the capacity to make these decisions for themselves. Such may be the case if you develop a degenerative mental condition such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease, are affected by a serious mental disorder, have been seriously injured and incapacitated in an accident, are in a coma, or otherwise unable to make informed decisions on your own.
If you are in such a condition, your advanced healthcare directives – in addition to documents such as a living will, medical privacy forms, and powers of attorney – can guide your loved ones and doctors toward making decisions about your medical care that align with your wishes. Doing so can save your loved ones from the difficulty of making these decisions for you without knowing if what they decided aligned with your values or beliefs.
For more information about what The Browne Firm's estate planning attorney in the Bronx can do for you, reach out to us online for help.