Estate planning is an inevitable part of daily life that allows someone to protect the future of their assets. It can be challenging, but it does not have to be a tedious and expensive process. With the guidance of the right attorney, you could develop an estate plan that meets your future needs and safeguards your best interests.
An experienced inheritance planning attorney could offer invaluable advice throughout the estate planning process in Tustin. From selecting beneficiaries to choosing the right documents for your situation, your legal counsel could develop a plan that respects your wishes and complies with the relevant laws.
The First Steps in Estate Planning
The beginning stages of drafting an estate plan are some of the most significant. Before an attorney can start writing a will or funding a trust, an individual must develop a comprehensive plan from the ground up. This means carefully reviewing every single one of their assets, from real estate to valuables to investments.
After someone works with an attorney to carefully determine the value of their estate, they can move forward to choose the individuals who receive the assets after their passing – otherwise known as beneficiaries. In most cases, beneficiaries will be children, surviving spouses, or close relatives.
Designating beneficiaries is only one key step; after someone finishes this, they can move forward to consider which estate planning documents are best for their situation. Wills are rather common, and other typical items include but are not limited to trusts, life insurance policies, living wills, and other documents. A knowledgeable attorney in Tustin could help the representative of an estate decide which documents to pursue.
Drafting Documents According to the Rules
One an individual has finished brainstorming their initial estate plan, they should begin authoring official legal documents. In most cases, an attorney could help someone draft wills, trusts, or other arrangements according to the needs and wishes of the person creating the plan. After carefully drafting documents, they will be assessed at once during a meeting. During this appointment, the individual drafting their estate can review all of these arrangements and decide if they want to make any last-minute modifications. If the will or trust is good to go, the estate creator can sign off on each piece of paperwork. Some documents might require witnesses, depending on the situation. Signing documents will usually bring the estate planning process to a close, and a diligent Tustin lawyer could help make sure it goes smoothly.
How Does Funding Trusts Relate to Estate Planning?
If someone authors a trust while they are planning their estate, they need to make sure that they actually place finances or assets into this arrangement. This step, known as funding the trust, can be done in many ways.
In some cases, the creator of the arrangement will place their own finances into the trust. In other situations, the trust might get funded in the future when it inherits unclaimed assets from a will. If a trust needs more funding down the line for any reason, the person planning the estate could work with a Tustin attorney to accomplish this easily.
Talk to an Attorney About the Estate Planning Process in Tustin
For many people, estate planning is an overwhelming endeavor that they might hesitate to start. Thankfully, when you work with a well-practiced lawyer, the estate planning process in Tustin becomes a lot simpler.
Your legal counsel could help you categorize your assets, draft the right set of documents for your inheritance, sign paperwork correctly, and resolve any issues. Contact our office today to schedule your initial appointment.
