Blue Bell Estate Planning Lawyer

Providing Legal Advice And Services For Clients Looking To Leave A Legacy

Serving Philadelphia, Chester, Lehigh, Montgomery, Delaware And Bucks Counties

Estate planning is an important step for those looking to have a way to control what happens to their assets after they pass away, but that is not all you can accomplish with thorough, well-written estate plans. Find out a few important answers to common questions about estate planning law, and see why working with an Pennsylvania estate planning attorney may be a good idea to help you get started.

What Is Estate Planning?

Estate planning can be defined as a set of tools and strategies that can be used with the goal of helping you preserve your assets while you are still living, record your wishes for how your assets should be divided after you pass away, and could also be used to achieve other related goals, such as minimizing your estate tax liability. By leveraging the knowledge and experience of an estate planning attorney you can be confident you are making the right choices for your estate planning goals.

There are several documents that are usually part of an estate plan and work together to accomplish your desired goals. Estate planning documents may include a last will, a living will, a power of attorney, a living trust, and several others. Each person’s estate planning needs are unique and may need a unique combination of estate plans. For example, some individuals may only need to have a last will, while others may need to set up a revocable living trust to reach their goals.

How Do I Know If Estate Planning Is Right For Me?

Many people have the impression that they do not need to have any estate plans because they do not consider themselves to be wealthy, nor do they have any illnesses. They may also believe that estate planning is not for them because they are not of advanced age or for a number of other reasons. The truth is estate planning is an important step for absolutely everyone, from an 18-year-old college freshman to a 75-year-old retiree and beyond.

While it is clear that the estate planning needs of a wealthy senior citizen would be radically different than that of a young and healthy college student, both individuals would benefit from having basic documents in place, such as a living will and a last will, regardless of age or economic status.

Without any estate plans, it will be up to a judge to decide what happens to your assets, and you may not be able to have a way to communicate your wishes for medical treatment to your family should you become incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself. Simply put, estate planning is for everyone, and the sooner you begin working on it, the more peace of mind you may enjoy. Contact the Pennsylvania estate planning attorneys for a free consultation.

Our Estate Planning Process For Clients

We at Pile Law Firm know that setting out to create an estate plan is a big step. So we’ve designed our planning process to ensure your confidence in it every step of the way. Our estate planning lawyers carefully review each decision with you, and yet the entire process doesn’t stretch beyond 8 weeks. In fact, within one month of meeting with E. Nego Pile, your family could be totally protected.

But then, that’s Nego’s goal for every client he serves throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. His approach is a perfect combination of personal warmth, efficiency, and effectiveness.

The First Meeting

It’s this first meeting with Nego that begins the Pile Law Firm estate planning process. At this meeting, you and Nego will get to know each other well enough for both of you to determine whether or not you and our law firm are “a good fit.”

Nego will walk you through exactly what your loved ones would have to do and where your assets would go if something happened to you. His presentation is crafted to put you in a much better position to determine if there’s anything about your current plan (or the state’s plan for you) that you don’t like. And that should give you a clearer idea of what you’d want to happen in the event of your death or incapacity.

Assuming there is a good fit between you and our law firm, Nego will help you choose the planning level and fee that’s right for your family. We have three different planning levels to accommodate your needs. Fees are all-inclusive, so there are never any surprises. Working together, you and Nego will establish an estate plan that gives you true peace of mind–the comfort of knowing your family will be taken care of no matter what the future brings.

The Follow-Through

Sometimes, depending on the level of planning you choose and the complexity of your situation, we advise a second design meeting or a Whole Family Wealth Audit to review your more-complex financial issues.

Once you’ve designed a plan to your satisfaction, you’ll return to our offices about four to six weeks later to sign your planning documents. At that point, your family and your assets will be totally protected when you die or if you become incapacitated.

With most law firms, the relationship ends there.

But we see things differently; we see the signing of these documents as the beginning of our relationship with you and your family.

The Enduring Relationship

After you sign your legal documents, we don’t just send you on your way and wish you luck for the future. Instead, we create an electronic record of all of your legal documents so you can access them easily anytime you need them. Then we schedule a Legacy Meeting with you. This is one of the most important meetings of our process because it’s where we:

Ensure that all of your assets are owned in the right way (You can have the best set of legal documents, but if your assets aren’t owned in the right way, your planning has all been a waste);
Make sure everyone you’ve named to take care of your kids knows just what to do if and when something happens to you; then
Capture and plan for your intangible assets–the values, insights, stories, and experiences you would never want to be lost; the aspects of your life often referred to as your intellectual, spiritual, and human assets.

What Happens If I Die Without A Will Or Any Estate Plans?

In Pennsylvania and in most states, when you die without a will, you are considered to have died intestate, and therefore your assets are subject to the intestacy rules of the state. This means that instead of simply dividing up your assets according to your wishes recorded in your will, a judge will follow the intestacy laws to divide your assets according to who your surviving relatives are.

For example, if you left a spouse and have no children, the spouse will likely inherit everything. If you have children, the assets will be divided among your spouse and your children. The spouse receives at least $30,000 plus one-half of the remaining assets, while the children receive the other half of the assets that are left.

The intestate probate process can be more laborious and take longer than simple probate in which the decedent left a valid will. Even if you don’t have a lot of assets, it is best to have a valid last will and testament so that your loved ones may avoid the headache of going through intestate probate.

How Can Estate Planning Help Preserve My Assets For My Heirs?

Another aspect of estate planning many people overlook is long-term care planning and Medicaid planning. If at any point you were to become disabled and need to be placed at a long-term care facility, such as a nursing home, you may end up depleting your assets due to the high cost of care at these facilities. If you choose to receive benefits through Medicaid, your beneficiaries may also find that there is not much left for them to inherit after repaying Medicaid with your estate assets.

The good news is that by working with an estate planning lawyer, you may work out a plan to set aside enough funds to receive the care you need while you are still alive without jeopardizing your entire estate. Tools such as trusts can be extremely helpful in protecting assets from Medicaid, for example. Speak to your estate planning attorney to find out more about including long-term care planning in your estate plans.

Why Should I Work With An Estate Planning Attorney?

As you may see, there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to estate planning. By working with a seasoned estate planning attorney, you can receive the guidance you need to navigate the estate planning process, write the necessary documents, and craft a unique strategy that works for you. At the Pile Law Firm, PLLC, Attorney E. Nego Pile helps clients in Blue Bell, PA, and surrounding areas with all of their estate planning needs. Contact our office at 267-281-1675 to get started with our Pennsylvania estate planning attorneys.