No one likes to think about a future without them in it, but working with experienced Midvale estate planning lawyers to get your affairs in order allows you to prepare for worst-case scenarios and ensure that your family will be provided for when you’re gone. A customized estate plan can give everyone peace of mind and make your eventual death or incapacitation much easier on your family during a time when they will need guidance the most. Call Green Legal Group today to schedule a free 30 minute consultation and learn more about how we can help you!

What Is Estate Planning?

Estate planning establishes the fate of your assets, both during your lifetime if you can no longer make independent choices and when you die. 

Fully comprehensive estate planning is more than just creating a simple will that clarifies your wishes for who you want to inherit what when you pass away; it may also involve:

• A trust that owns your assets in a fiduciary entity and that ensures a safe, private transfer to loved ones
• A living will or advance directive that outlines your wishes for medical care in the event of incapacitation
• Beneficiary designations on who receives what out of your assets, such as on retirement and bank accounts
• Designations for guardianship of minor children
• Powers of attorney, naming decision makers you trust to act on your behalf if you can’t make your own medical choices
• Charitable trusts that designate non-profit organizations as recipients of certain assets
• Other legal documents that make your wishes clear

The Midvale estate planning lawyers at Green Legal Group will take the time to get to know you so we can explain which documents your unique estate plan should have and personalize those documents to your exact needs.

Why Is Estate Planning Important?

Estate plans determine what happens to your hard-earned assets. When you neglect to create an estate plan, you risk losing those assets; your family may not inherit them, or at least not right away or fully, which could leave them in a potentially difficult financial situation. 

If you pass away with a will, but no complete estate plan, your assets will have to pass through Utah’s probate court before they can be distributed according to your will’s terms to your beneficiaries. Probate can be time-consuming and confusing; it is a burdensome legal process that involves extensive paperwork and expensive fees, and it is the last thing you want to put your family through at a time when they should be mourning in peace. 

If you have a will in place, but become unable to make decisions for yourself, your family won’t know what your wishes are and will have to determine what actions should be taken on your behalf regarding your medical care, finances, etc. 

If you pass away without a will or any other estate planning documents, you leave your family wondering what you would have wanted. Utah intestate laws, not your wishes or your family’s wishes, will determine how your assets will be distributed. 

Any one of these scenarios may devolve into family conflict or legal battles that only serve to stress your family out and further increase expenses. That’s not the kind of legacy you want to leave behind! 

Our Midvale estate planning lawyers can help you avoid all of that headache by taking legal action now. We understand how to build an estate plan that protects your assets (even from nursing home care) and puts them in the hands of your intended heirs, bypassing probate court and potential family crises. Your estate plan will also protect your minor children, if you have them, and establish guardians who you would want to raise them if anything were to happen to you. Your estate plan will ensure that your wishes are crystal clear and legally valid. No matter what the future holds, everyone and everything that matters most to you will be safe! 

What Can Our Midvale Estate Planning Lawyer Do For You?

Don’t wait to create an estate plan – tomorrow isn’t promised for any of us, no matter how young and healthy we may be. If you have family or own property in your name, you need to start planning! The Midvale estate planning lawyers at Green Legal Group have 15 years of combined experience designing custom estate plans for Utah residents. We can explain your options, answer your questions, and take care of the paperwork for you so you can focus on enjoying the present. Call today to schedule a free 30 minute consultation and get started!