First and foremost, my role as your estate planning attorney is to listen to your concerns and tailor estate planning documents which address your concerns and ensure that the documents are representative of your wishes. Depending on your season of life, your concerns and needs will be different. Each of these seasons present their unique set of excitements, challenges and concerns. It is important to determine what these needs are and prepare the documents which will best meet the needs of my clients. In the following examples, I explore the typical concerns and needs of clients at different seasons of life.
In the Autumn of life, individuals are in their 60’s and 70’s. At this age, you may be thinking of retiring or have already retiring. Many are thinking about when to collect social security and at 65 are applying for Medicare. Many are concerned about retirement and having enough money for their lifetimes, engaging in long-term care planning, downsizing the home, minimizing taxes, considering legacy gifts to their children, grandchildren, family, friends, and charities.
During this season of life, some of the estate planning documents you may want to consider are:
- Last Will and Testament
- Living Trust / Pour-Over Will (depending on his or her assets)
- Durable Power of Attorney
- Advance Health Care Directive