Estate Planning
Estate planning is as essential as it is forgotten. While many individuals generally understand they should draft a will at some point, it’s easy to let that chore fall through the cracks. Failing to take the appropriate steps to protect your finances and enshrine your wishes for your estate can prove costly for your loved ones. If you pass away unexpectedly, having a comprehensive, thorough, and effective estate plan ensures that your assets are distributed in accordance with your wishes, and avoids a lengthy, costly, emotionally-fraught probate proceeding.
Make sure your plans for your estate are set and that your family is well-cared-for by putting together a sound estate plan with the help of the attorneys at Gilbert Garcia Group. Our estate planning legal team will walk you through all of the important steps to take and documents to draft to ensure that you are protected in your elder years and your family is protected after your passing. The last thing you want is for your estate to be diminished through unnecessary taxes as your property is distributed slowly and without regard to your desires, leaving your loved ones without the financial security they need.
Plan Ahead to Avoid Probate
When a person dies without a will, it is known as dying “intestate.” Intestate estates wind up in probate court, as do estates without a comprehensive, legally-sound estate plan. Probate court is a complex, often expensive proceeding whereby the court and a representative for the estate determine how the assets within an estate should be distributed. When there’s no will, trust, or other estate planning document dictating how property should be distributed, property passes according to law, rather than the wishes of the deceased person.
An effective and detailed estate plan built by the estate planning lawyers at Gilbert Garcia Group will ensure that your loved ones are not stuck going through the lengthy probate process. Your estate plan can dictate how your assets are to be distributed, including special protections for disabled or special needs family members, and generally ensure that your estate is distributed efficiently and based on your desires. You can avoid unnecessary estate taxes, cut off familial disputes before they happen, and avoid distant “relatives” popping up to claim “their share” of your inheritance. Make sure you know what will happen to your assets after your passing by establishing a complete, legally-sound estate plan.
Knowledgeable Estate Planning Attorneys Ready to Guide You Through Options for Your Estate Plan
The seasoned Florida estate planning lawyers at Gilbert Garcia Group have decades of experience helping Floridians protect their assets and their families through effective estate planning. Estate planning is about more than just finances–it’s also about ensuring that your children and other loved ones are well-cared-for in your absence, as well as protecting your assets and health should you become elderly or incapacitated. An estate planning lawyer at our Tampa-based law firm can help you explore your options, including:
- Wills
- Revocable living trusts
- Special needs trusts
- Living wills
- Durable powers of attorney
- Health care directives and healthcare power of attorney
- Estate tax planning
- Guardian declarations
- Wealth transfers
- Avoiding probate
- Planning for minors, disabled relatives, and special needs children
- Disinheriting certain heirs
Prepare for the Future of Your Family With Help from a Seasoned Estate Planning Lawyer
If you want to ensure that your assets are distributed in accordance with your wishes, protecting your finances and your family in the process, it’s important to have the right estate planning legal counsel on your side. The savvy and thorough estate planning lawyers at Gilbert Garcia Group will walk you through all of your options, ensuring that you develop a personalized estate plan tailored to your needs, your circumstances, and your family. Call our experienced estate planning team today to ensure your finances are secure. Contact Gilbert Garcia Group, P.A. to learn how we can protect your interests, your finances, and your family through a comprehensive estate plan.
