Saturday, June 16, 2007

What is Estate Planning?

Estate planning is a process. It involves people - your family, other individuals and in many cases charitable organizations of your choice. It also involves your assets and all the various forms of ownership and title that those assets may take.

As you plan your estate, you will consider:

  • How your assets will be managed for your benefit if you are unable to do so
  • When certain assets will be transferred to others, either during your lifetime, at your death, or sometime after your death
  • To whom those assets will pass

Estate planning also addresses your welfare and needs, planning for your own personal and health care if you are no longer able to care for yourself. Like many people, you may at first think that estate planning is simply the writing of a will. But it encompasses much more. As you will see, estate planning may involve financial, tax, medical and business planning. A will is one part of that planning process, but other documents are needed to fully address your estate planning needs. The purpose of this pamphlet is to summarize the estate planning process and how it can address and meet your goals and objectives.

As you consider it further, you will realize that estate planning is a dynamic process. Just as people and assets and laws change, it may well be necessary to adjust your estate plan every so often to reflect those changes.

http://www.ofseyerlaw.com/lawyer-attorney-1090742.html