Before you walk into your estate planning lawyer’s office, you’ll need to prepare some documents and gather pertinent information. Doing so will save you time and money in additional consultations. Below is a checklist of items to prepare and bring to the initial meeting:
Online Forms
Most estate planning law firms provide forms that you can fill out prior to the initial consultation. Be sure to go to their website or call them and find out what documents are available. Fill out the forms in advance will keep you from wasting time doing it when you arrive at the office. In addition to the firm’s documents, they may also provide you with government/legal documents as well. The more you do in advance, the less time you’ll spend in the meeting.
Financials
The whole point of estate planning is to solidify your current financial state as well as any solid projections in the event that something happens to you. Therefore, you need to provide a comprehensive report of all your financial statements. A complete report ensures that you do not leave anything out when it matters most. This report includes both personal and business financial statements.
Beneficiaries
One of the most careful and intentional decisions you will make is to appoint who will carry on your estate and other finances long after you have passed on. Therefore, you will want to obtain and confirm the full names and updated addresses of all family or other people that you want to name in your will. This is especially important if the person(s) in question live outside of your city/state/country.
Designations
Now that you have created a list of beneficiaries, it’s time to designate specific items to those whom you wish to leave them with. For instance, who will take over your business? Who will assume ownership of your property? Are there any specific items that you wish to pass on to children, extended family, business partners, or friends? Answer all of these questions will eliminate any false claims or confusion when it’s time to designate these items.
Children Under 18
If you have children under 18, then it is important to be clear about how they will be taken care of if they are orphaned. Whom will you designate as the guardians of these children. You’ll also want to designate alternates if your primary guardians are unable to fulfill the role. Something else to consider is your children’s inheritance and setting up a trust for them until they are 18 years old. Will they receive their inheritance all at once or in increments depending on a certain age?
Mestayer Law Firm provides civil litigation for clients throughout the Gulf Coast area including Pascagoula, Biloxi, and Gulfport. If you are making future plans for your estate, then contact us today and let us help take care of every detail of your finances. Call us today at 228-762-1193 or visit www.pascagoulalaw.com. We are your legal experts! You can also visit our office located at 2128 Ingalls Ave. in Pascagoula, Mississippi. We look forward to talking with you!
No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
This article does not create an attorney-client relationship. I am licensed to practice law in Mississippi and have based the information presented on US laws. This article is legal information and is for entertainment and informational purposes only and should not be seen as legal advice. You should consult with an attorney before you rely on this information. Any information provided in this blog is accurate and true to the best of my knowledge, but that there may be omissions, errors, or mistakes.