Estate planning is a way to protect your family and your assets. It is a means of helping your loved ones honor your wishes without question or dispute. Leaving the care of your family or the distribution of your estate to the courts means letting a stranger determine who will care for your minor children and who will get your personal belongings.

Planning ahead will allow your loved ones to grieve and support each other without the worry of trying to figure out what to do with everything you have acquired and cultivated throughout your lifetime.

The essentials of every estate plan include:

• Pourover Will
• Revocable Living Trust Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare
• Power of Attorney for Property

Pourover Will

A "pourover will" allows you to transfer any assets that you failed to transfer into your living trust during your life into the living trust upon your death so that the estate may be distributed according to the terms of the living trust. The pourover will is a means to also identify who will act as your executor and administer your estate, who will serve as the guardian of your minor children, and who will manage money for the care of your minor children.

Revocable Living Trust

A revocable living trust offers you a flexible means for managing your estate in the event you are incapacitated and the ability to maximize the transfer of wealth in death. Using a revocable living trust offers you a means of detailing how you want your property managed.

Power of Attorney for Healthcare

If you are unable to make healthcare decisions for yourself, you want to be sure that someone you trust can make informed decisions for you. A durable power of attorney for healthcare allows you to name an agent and provide guidance as to your healthcare wishes.

Power of Attorney for Property

A durable power of attorney for property allows you to name an agent to manage your property in the event you are unable to do so.