Estate Planning Attorney in Massachusetts

The Law Office of Glenn F. Russell, Jr.

If something were to happen to you today, are you confident your loved ones would be taken care of tomorrow? Having your estate planning documents taken care of properly and early-on can help you and your family rest easy for years to come. Without such documentation, the legal complications could make a hard situation even more difficult on your family and close friends, possibly throwing your estate into probate. To secure your future, and theirs, start planning your will and estate documents with our firm, today.

What documents are in an estate plan?

There is a common misconception that estate plans are only for the wealthy, but this is far from true. An estate plan is comprised of a will, trusts, and power of attorney documents, all of which can serve to protect a person's properties, divide possessions, designate beneficiaries, appoint financial and medical responsibility, and so on.

The Will

The will is the most basic documentation involved in an estate plan, and in many ways the most essential. With a will, you can designate who shall receive your properties and funds, as well as any other possessions and heirlooms. A will may also be used to appoint a guardian for underage children, and define and funds or assets to be given to charity organizations.

Power of Attorney

A power of attorney will appoint a person the authority to make financial decisions in the event of a person's incapacity or death. The person appointed is typically a spouse or adult child, or someone else capable of making sound financial choices should you be unable to do so. They will have the power to pay any necessary bills, maintain accounts, access financial information, and address any other expenses. Power will only be transferred to the designated person if you are otherwise unable to make sound decisions. For example, if a person has advanced Alzheimer's disease, is in a coma, or has suffered another injury that prevents them from necessary mental functions.

In addition to having your financial power of attorney, you may also have a medical power of attorney, or a healthcare proxy. Like the financial power of attorney, the healthcare proxy will appoint someone the authority to handle your medical decisions in the event that you are otherwise unable to do so.

Advanced Health Care Directive

In addition to a health care proxy, you can also create other documents to provide guidance if you ever face a medical emergency. The Advanced Health Care Directive, also called a living will, tells your loved ones what medical services you prefer, where you would like to be cared for, and so on.

Trusts

Many people choose to use trusts as a way to distribute assets in more specific ways than wills allow. Through a trust, you can appoint beneficiaries to receive their allotted assets at specific times, or only when certain terms are met. The assets will then be turned over to another person until that beneficiary may take control of their assets.

Let our firm help you!

At The Law Office of Glenn F. Russell, Jr. we understand the importance of taking care of your family's future, and we want to help you establish an estate plan you can be confident in. Whether you have existing documents in need of revision, or you need to start from scratch, our firm can help.