Eau Claire Estate Planning

Find the right Wills & Trusts attorney in Eau Claire, WI

If you are making choices in Eau Claire about what to do with everything you own after your death, and your other affairs that should be wrapped up at that time, you are in the process of "estate planning."

You will usually need to seek the help of a professional with legal and/or financial expertise when in the process of estate planning. Simple mistakes in an estate plan can cause significant problems, including legal and personal conflicts between your survivors.

In addition to post-death decisions, estate planning also concerns issues that might affect you during your life, such as granting power of attorney to a family member or trusted friend in case you become unable to make your own decisions regarding your finances or medical care. Additionally, effective estate planning can minimize the impact that estate taxes and court fees will have on your final disposition to your loved ones.

If you want to maximize the odds that your wishes will be followed after your death, you should do everything you can to make them legally binding. While this is not always possible, an Eau Claire attorney will be able to make sure that, where it is permitted, it is done.

Common Features of Eau Claire Estates

Will: This is normally a major component in any estate plan. A will is a document in which a person lays out what they want done with their property after their death. These gifts normally have the effect of transferring legal ownership of the property to the named beneficiary.

Living Will: Unlike ordinary wills, a living will contains instructions regarding a person's medical care. Some recent high-profile controversies have illustrated the importance of making a living will, even for younger individuals. In a living will, you can give your family members and doctors instructions about your desired medical care, in case you become incapacitated (comatose or brain-dead, for example) and can't tell them yourself. Some people say that they would not want to be kept alive by artificial means if they are in a vegetative state, and there's no chance of recovery. If this is you, that's definitely something to include in a living will. Of course, if you would prefer the opposite, being kept alive as long as is medically permitted, you can put that in your living will, as well.

Power of Attorney: Power of attorney allows you to grant someone else (normally a trusted family member or friend) the power to make certain decisions in your place, with the same legal effect as if you had made them yourself, in the event that you become unable to do so (normally due to mental or physical incapacity). If you decide to give someone power of attorney, you should make your wishes known to them in advance, so they are more likely to make the same decisions that you would make, if you were able to. And, of course, you should exclusively give this authority to someone with whom you would trust your life because that is, in some cases, just what you're doing.

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 particular wishes regarding 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 Eau Claire Estates Lawyer?

A flawed estate plan in Eau Claire can result in those affected by it being confused as to your intent, which can then lead to disputes between them. A seasoned attorney can commonly avoid this confusion by ensuring that there is as little ambiguity as possible in your will and other related documents.

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

Life in Eau Claire

Eau Claire is located in west Wisconsin, and is part of Eau Claire County. It is home to approximately 66,000 people. An interesting fact is that Eau Claire was one of the first Tree Cities to have been recognized. Also, in 2007 America's Promise named Eau Claire as one of the 100 best communities for young people.

Top employers include Hutchinson Technology, IDEXX Laboratories, Midwest Manufacturing and Open-Silicon. The legal industry also has a presence to support the needs of small and large corporations in Eau Claire. Small law offices and mid-size law firms train competent attorneys to provide excellent legal services to the city's residents.

Famous athletes have, at one time or another, called this city home. Such athletes include Hank Aaron, Jake Dowell, Mike Hintz, Herm Johnson, Vic Johnson, Paul Menard, Sis Paulsen, Ralph Pond, Brad Radke, Bill Schroeder, and Jerry Wunsch.

All in all, Eau Claire is a wonderful place to visit or call home!

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