"Estate planning" in Ellisville refers to the decisions a person makes concerning what is to be done with their assets after their death, and the procedure of implementing those wishes.

Estate planning typically requires professional legal and financial advice, because of the complexity and importance of the issues involved. A poorly-executed estate plan can frequently 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 contain things that might become relevant during life. Power of attorney is a big one. Power of attorney is an arrangement in which you provide another person the ability to make decisions for you, if you become incapacitated. Additionally, effective estate planning can help reduce the effect of taxes and court fees on your final disposition to your chosen beneficiaries.

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 Ellisville attorney will be able to make sure that, where it is feasible, it is done.

Common Features of Ellisville Estates

Will: A will is often the central component of an estate plan. It is a legal document which says what is to be done with a person's assets after they die. It typically involves giving money and property to the testator's close family members, friends, and sometimes charitable organizations.

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 feasible, you can put that in your living will, as well.

Power of Attorney: Power of attorney allows you to grant someone else (typically 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 (typically 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: You should make it very clear to the individuals handling your funeral what type of funeral you want, and what you want done with your body. You should not put these instructions in your will, because wills are frequently not read until days or weeks after the testator dies, by which point it may be too late to give their wishes on this subject effect.

Do I Need a Ellisville Estates Lawyer?

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