Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Assemble Your Estate Planning Pro Team


Assemble Your Estate Planning Pro Team

To put together a rock solid estate plan, you're going to want to enlist some professional help. The chart below details who you will want on your team, what each person's role is and what to ask yourself as you search for the right professional.
source Role
What this person does
Questions to consider
Estate planning attorney
  • Helps you create many of the legal documents that make up your estate plan
  • Goes over your family and financial situations with you and creates documents that carry out your wishes in the most efficient way possible
  • Discusses tax laws with you to ensure you take advantage of all these to the maximum amount allowable by law
  • Does this attorney have a background specific to estate planning?
  • What credentials or referrals reinforce this attorney's credibility?
Financial planner and\or life insurance agent
  • Helps make sure your estate plan fits with your overall financial goals and intentions
  • Works with you to develop a broader plan that covers needs such as retirement, investments and insurance that protects property and financial risks
  • Helps you understand your beneficiary designations and how they are used to distribute assets outside the authority of your will. You'll work with this person over time to ensure these are kept current with your life and needs.
  • Does this person have experience specific to my needs or is he or she a generalist?
  • Is this person an independent agent or working for a specific company? How does this affect the product or investment he or she is recommending to me?
  • What credentials and referrals reinforce this person's credibility?
Tax specialist and\or certified public accountant
  • Advises on more complicated tax and financial issues. Helps ensure that your estate plan fits with your other financial plans and decisions.
  • Works with you throughout your life to file taxes and make other financial decisions
  • Will be familiar with your situation and be able to assist your executor with filing taxes and other responsibilities
  • What level of knowledge do I need from this person that I'm not getting from other professionals?
  • Will this person be a good resource for my named executor to use when carrying out final responsibilities?
source  https://www.araglegal.com/education/estate-planning/estate-planning-pro-team.htm

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