Estate planning is important to manage your estate to reduce taxes and distribute assets to your family members appropriately after your death. With the help of an estate planning attorney in Contra Costa, you can get the right assistance to plan your estate using Wills, trusts, and power of attorney documents.
- Hiring the Right Attorney
It is important to feel comfortable with the attorney you choose for your estate planning. Sometimes you need to share sensitive and emotional information with the attorney, if you trust the estate planner, the process will become much easier.
- Charges of their Services
When seeking the services of an attorney for wills and trust in Walnut Creek, don’t hesitate to ask about their costs in the first meeting. The attorney will provide a breakdown of their structure. This can include hourly rates or a flat fee. The fee will depend on the documents that you need for your estate planning goals. You want to have this information before going into the estate planning process.
- Speak to Your Family
It is recommended to speak to your immediate family before you proceed with the estate planning process. If a family member is going to be a trustee/executor or POA you should be clear whether they are willing to take the role.
You don’t need to provide every detail. However, knowing their preferences and choices can be helpful in the decision-making process.
- keep the Necessary Documents Ready
To start preparing for the meeting with the attorney the first step is to gather the required documents to validate the identity. This includes bank account details, insurance documents, property documents, etc. Keeping all the documents can help immensely in the estate planning process. You also need to provide details of your family to the attorney. This information is critical to develop an estate plan.
- Understand your Estate Planning Goals
While transferring your real property, investment accounts and bank accounts is the obvious goal of your estate planning you also want to understand other goals you can accomplish in the process. This may include providing financial support for a family member with an illness or disability. Setting up a revocable trust to keep your assets out of probate. Choosing a health care power of attorney to give a family member or friend decision-making authority in case of incapacity.
- Prepare a List of Questions
Keep a list of your questions and concerns ready to discuss with the attorney during the initial meeting. This will ensure that all your concerns are addressed and that you don’t have any doubts. The attorney may also require you to fill in some forms before the meeting. This information is required by the attorney to understand your estate planning needs. Completing the forms or questionnaires provided by the attorney will also help you think about your estate plan deeply.
- Go ahead with the Meeting even if unprepared
While being prepared for the meeting with the attorney is ideal, you can even go ahead with the consultation if you are not ready. Making the initial appointment can often be the biggest hurdle to estate planning. Meeting your attorney even if you are not prepared can give you a better view of your current standing and help you prepare for the future.
Conclusion:
These are some important things that you must consider before meeting an attorney for your estate planning. Preparing for your first meeting with the estate planning in attorney contra costa mainly helps you think about your estate plan deeply.
