Estate Planning is a Process

July 27, 2015

Providing legal counsel for estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. for more than sixty years, our estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. attorneys have a deep understanding about what is takes to provide a truly value and client-focused estate plan. Our process is client-focused, collaborative and thorough.

Estate Planning: More than Drafting Documents

There is much misunderstanding about what goes into a robust and comprehensive estate plan. Many people assume that a client simply gives the attorney a list of people who willA written document that sets forth and names the personal representative who will be in charge of overseeing the probate process and names the specific bequest and residual beneficiaries of property who are to receive and inherit assets and property through probate. A Will does not avoid probate, and must be properly drafted and executed to be legal. A Will can also avoid the use of a surety bond in many instances and can help utilize an “informal” Wisconsin probate process if it has the proper clauses and attestation clause. receive property and the attorney prepares a WillA written document that sets forth and names the personal representative who will be in charge of overseeing the probate process and names the specific bequest and residual beneficiaries of property who are to receive and inherit assets and property through probate. A Will does not avoid probate, and must be properly drafted and executed to be legal. A Will can also avoid the use of a surety bond in many instances and can help utilize an “informal” Wisconsin probate process if it has the proper clauses and attestation clause. or TrustThe arrangement creating the legal ownership of assets by a trustee for the benefit of the Settlor and/or other beneficiaries. document based on that list. While an inexperienced attorney or a web service may take that approach, such a superficial approach is inadequate and would likely result in unneeded fees, costs, and expenses. Inadequate estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. often results in unnecessary , family squabbles and court involvement following the death of a loved one.

A good estate plan process helps to identify the potential problems and opportunities and address them in advance.

An experienced and competent estate planning attorney must fully analyze each client’s situation and then discuss with the client the various options available. In short, a good estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. attorney knows that estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. is a process of gathering client information, educating the client, and discussing and analyzing options for each client.

Each Client is Unique

Quality estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. attorneys do not have a standard estate plan for clients. The cookie-cutter approach willA written document that sets forth and names the personal representative who will be in charge of overseeing the probate process and names the specific bequest and residual beneficiaries of property who are to receive and inherit assets and property through probate. A Will does not avoid probate, and must be properly drafted and executed to be legal. A Will can also avoid the use of a surety bond in many instances and can help utilize an “informal” Wisconsin probate process if it has the proper clauses and attestation clause. never equate to a robust and versatile estate plan. While many clients have similar needs and concerns, their individual assets, the manner in which those assets are owned and how those assets are to be handled upon death are all unique to each client. No two client situations are exactly alike.

The Steps to a Great Estate Plan

At Wokwicz Law Offices, we have a detailed estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. process. Our process is the result of decades of experience.

• Client needs and goals exploration: We meet with our clients to develop a detailed understanding of the clients’ relevant family facts and history, assets and background. We discuss our clients’ general aims for estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity..
• Client education: Once we understand the clients’ situation, financial assets and wishes, we begin a conversation about possible planning options. We take the time to explain the pros and cons of different options. We ensure that our clients understand their options and the benefits and risks associated with those options. Our clients are then in a position to make decisions from a position of knowledge.
• Estate plan formation: Only after we understand our clients and their needs, and they understand their options, do we begin to arrive at the best estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. tools to achieve the clients’ objective.

Our estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. process is very popular with our clients – and is a major source of referrals for new estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. clients. Our existing clients often recommend to their friends that they contact us for their estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. needs.

Our Collaborative Estate Planning Process

Our ability to craft the best estate for our clients depends on our knowledge and understanding of their unique situations. To make that happen, we follow a very collaborative and candid approach to estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity..

We need to identify relevant family and asset situations. We discuss family history, siblings, children, marriages and unique relationships and situations that impact the estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. process. We identify issues that might present opportunities for savings and where we may need to employ advanced estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. techniques to avoid problems or unnecessary costs.

These are very personal and sensitive topics. We deeply appreciate that. We make sure that our clients understand that we value their trustThe arrangement creating the legal ownership of assets by a trustee for the benefit of the Settlor and/or other beneficiaries. – and we make it clear that we never betray their confidence in our firm. Our clients come to know that their candor is pivotal to enabling us to provide the best estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. solution for their specific needs.

Putting Clients First

At Wokwicz Law Offices, the client always comes first. We want each of our client’s to feel that they were respected and well represented. This is particularly important in estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. as the laws surrounding this complex area of the law can be difficult to understand. Our client-first approach has been at the core of our firm as we served generations of families for their estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. needs in the greater Kenosha area and Wisconsin.

Contact Us for an Estate Plan Appointment

For Traditional Estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. clients, we offer a no fee initial consultation so that we can discuss your situation and establish the appropriate estate plan for you.  Please read about Wokwicz Law Offices’s approach to estate planning and contact us to discuss if your estate planningPlanning in advance of disability, incapacity, or death to make sure that key life issues have been addressed while the person is still of sound mind and able to understand and sign key documents such as Power of Attorneys, Power of Attorneys for Health Care, Wills, and Trusts to form a strategy and provide for the administration and disposition of his or her assets upon death or upon incapacity. situation qualifies for a free initial consultation.