Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning

Wills, trusts, and estate planning are synonymous with doing whatever it takes to protect your loved ones and those assets you have worked so hard for. Having an estate plan that integrates all components of an individual’s circumstances, especially with regard to healthcare and financial needs, can foster peace of mind and heighten quality of life. Our attorneys bring a world of experience to the table, and we consider it a true privilege to help clients prepare for future needs and/or address difficult age-related problems for themselves or loved ones.

Estate planning is much more than drafting a will. At BWLaw, we recognize that this is not a “one-size-fits-all” world. Our experienced team will assess your situation and discuss the various options available.

We welcome the hard questions.

  • Are you concerned about estate tax?
  • What about a healthcare power of attorney, a financial power of attorney, and a living will?
  • Are you in a second marriage and will you want to ensure that the estate passes to your children?
  • Do you want the assets in a trust to provide for the education of grandchildren?
  • Do you have a child with special needs?  
  • Do you need to discuss protecting assets from creditors or ensuring continuance of governmental benefits?
  • Will you want to ensure that there are guardians appointed for minor children?

At BWLaw our team can help you with:

  • Preparing powers of attorney and advanced medical directives
  • Establishing a “living trust” to provide a seamless, private administration of your estate for your beneficiaries
  • Sorting out the unique challenges presented by second marriages and two-family households (“yours, mine, and ours”)
  • Ensuring that special needs children are provided for in a way that ensures quality care in an atmosphere of ongoing respect for their dignity
  • Planning for succession in closely held businesses, especially where one child works in the business and others may not
  • Seeking solutions for the peculiar challenges presented by age-related problems, including the transition to assisted living or nursing home environments, as well as providing hands-on assistance with financial management when family members are separated from the elderly parent
  • Assisting in the minefield of government regulations, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security
  • Offering expert guidance in both the practical and tax aspects of estate administration, including “post-mortem” planning that may reduce tax liabilities