Fort Wayne Estate Planning

Find the right Wills & Trusts attorney in Fort Wayne, IN

In Fort Wayne, "estate planning" refers to all of the decisions affecting how a person's property is going to be disposed of after their death, as well as the process of implementing those decisions when the time comes.

Estate planning normally requires professional legal and financial advice, because of the complexity and importance of the issues involved. A poorly-executed estate plan can commonly end with survivors suing each other, and prevent your intentions from being effectuated.

In addition to deciding what to do with your assets after your death, your estate plan should also include things that might become relevant during life. Power of attorney is a big one. Power of attorney is an arrangement in which you give another person the ability to make decisions for you, if you become incapacitated. Furthermore, effective estate planning can help reduce the effect of taxes and court fees on your final disposition to your chosen beneficiaries.

A brilliant Fort Wayne professional experienced in estate planning can make this process a great deal easier. They can also help ensure that your estate plan does not end up in court.

Common Features of Fort Wayne Estates

Will: Wills are a very important part of almost all estate plans. In simplest terms, it answers the question "who gets what after I die?" Typically, you can leave your property to anyone you wish. If you die without a will, your property will usually be given to your closest living relative (usually a spouse or child).

Living Will: This is a document which lays out instructions for your medical care, should you become so sick or badly harmed that you are unable to express your wishes. It should state under what situations you want to remain on life support. A well-drafted living will can prevent you from being kept alive in a permanent vegetative state (if that is not what you want), while ensuring that you receive medical care as long as you have a chance at recovery.

Power of Attorney: Power of attorney, while important, is not to be used lightly. This is because it involves granting someone else the power to make legally-binding decisions on your behalf. Normally, your spouse will automatically have power of attorney if you become incapacitated. If you are not married, however, you need to make a document explicitly granting that authority to someone you trust (a life partner or close family member, for instance).

Funeral Arrangements: Whatever your preference on this matter (if you have a preference) you should make it known to your family both verbally and in writing. If you have very specific wishes concerning the final disposition of your mortal remains, you should not put those instructions in your will. Or, if you do, you should also put them somewhere else. Wills are usually not read for quite some time after a person dies, and the funeral is normally long over by then, so it will be too late to follow your instructions.

Do I Need a Fort Wayne Estates Lawyer?

A brilliant estates lawyer in Fort Wayne can make the estate planning process much easier. He or she can maximize the chances of your wishes being given effect. Additionally, a good and clear estate plan is far less likely to result in litigation in the future, since disputes of this nature are almost always the result of ambiguity.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, Indiana gives visitors the small-town feel that makes Indiana so great. Along with the small town community-feel, Fort Wayne has a lot of things for visitors to do.

For the nature lovers, they can visit Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, which is famous for the display of beautiful plants, shopping, and family outings. Another site great for family outings is the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, which includes great restaurants and cafes and wonderful exhibits of animals!

Sports lovers will have their sports-loving needs catered to with the Fort Wayne TinCaps Baseball Stadium and Parkview Field. The nature lovers have Rivergreenway Trail, and Headwaters Park.

Other popular attractions include Hoosier Park Racing Casino for the adventurous risk-takers, Fort Wayne Civic Theatre for those who love shows, and Veterans Memorial National Shrine, which holds over 5,000 artifacts from the Civil War for all the visitors who are history-buffs.

Fort Wayne is also filled with many small to medium sized law firms who practice in all areas of law. Thus, Fort Wayne citizens do not have to travel far to receive personalized and effective legal representation.

Clients Rate LegalMatch Attorneys
(click to read reviews)

Regel B.
Regel B.

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Caldwell, LA

Brad M.
Brad M.

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Sussex, NJ

David L.
David L.

Wills, Trusts and Estates

Ashland, OH