Estate planning is extremely important whether you have a new or growing family, wish to protect and provide for your spouse and children, or want to ensure that your assets are left to the people or organizations that are important to you. My work with clients in estate planning includes planning for their future as well as the drafting of wills, power of attorneys, trusts, health care proxies and living wills.
What is an Estate Planning?
In its simplest form, estate planning is the creation of the legal documents necessary to set forth your intentions and expectations for your care if you are no longer able to make those decisions yourself, as well as what happens to your assets upon your death.
Why is Estate Planning Important?
Estate planning is important for many reasons. It allows you to determine the kind of care you wish to receive if you are no longer able to care for yourself. It enables you to designate who will make health and financial decisions, as well as handle your affairs if you become incapacitated. It allows you to designate a guardian, as well as provide for your children in the event you pass away while they are minors. It gives you the ability to consider and plan for potential tax consequences for your estate. And it allows you to determine what happens to your assets and personal belongings when you pass away.
Why trust your estate planning to Cyndy Rochford?
Every person is unique and therefore, each estate plan must be tailored the specific wishes and goals of each client. I do not approach estate planning for my clients as a one size fits all. I devise your will and other important legal documents after we have had time to address what you wish to accomplish with your specific estate plan. I talk with and listen to each client and invest the time and effort necessary to make sure individual objectives are achieved. In addition, I will work together with other trusted professionals such as your financial advisor, insurance agent or accountant to make sure your goals are met and the documents I prepare are right for you and your family.
What is the process?
The first step is to contact me. I will send you my planning form so that you can determine what questions need to be addressed to proceed with your estate plan. We will talk through what you would like to achieve with your plan, and how best it can be accomplished. Depending on your situation, our discussion may include such topics as beneficiary designations, powers of appointment, property ownership, gifting opportunities, powers of attorney, health care decisions and the creation of specific types of trusts. Once you are comfortable with your specific plan, I will draft the necessary legal documents for execution.