When some people hear the word "estate," they think of an English Tudor home tucked in a beautifully landscaped countryside with horses grazing nearby and a luxury car parked in the circular driveway. That's not what we mean. Everyone who owns any property at all has an estate. Actually, your estate is anything you own: your car, your bank account, or that English Tudor home. Estate planning, then, involves planning to take care of yourself and your property, both during your life and after your death.

At Roberson Law we are concerned that too many people and families do not have an estate plan. Not planning can have very serious consequences, some of which we will later discuss. There are several reasons why people do not have an estate plan. The primary reason is that people do not want to think or talk about disability and death. They suspect that planning for disability and death will make them happen. Actually, the opposite is true. People who are able to confront their fears openly and honestly are physically, psychologically, and spiritually healthier, and therefore less likely to die or become disabled, than those who procrastinate planning because of their fears, because unresolved conflict can produce illness.

Another major reason why people do not plan is because they think that planning will cost them a fortune. In reality, a thorough estate plan is a modest investment compared to all of the costs that can be incurred without a plan. Costs are greatly increased if a person fails to plan or plans improperly, because legal fees are expensive. Thousands of dollars are lost to families because of inadequate or improper planning.

Another reason why people don't plan for the future is because they don't know how they want to arrange their affairs. No decision is really a decision, though. If you don't make arrangements for yourself, someone will have to make them for you, and who makes these arrangements and how they are made may not be to your liking at all. Many people find that just getting started with their estate plan seems to help them decide what to do.  Contact our experienced team to begin the process today!

Many people have non-traditional family arrangements and they too want to ensure that their loved ones are provided for in the event of their death or disability.  Through the preparation of custom tailored documents, our staff can create a plan for your unique situation to assure that upon your death or disability, your loved ones will be provided for in a manner that gives you peace of mind.

One common misconception is that when you die, you are no longer responsible for paying taxes.  Paying the dreaded estate tax, also called the "death tax", is often an unavoidable part of estate administration.  However, there are strategies that one can take to help substantially minimize the estate tax, which is an area that our staff has many years of experience working.

Here is a sampling of some of the primary estate planning documents that are often utilized:

• Last Will & Testament (Will)
• Trusts (all types)
• Powers of Attorney
• Health Care Directives
• Deeds (all types) 
• Premarital Agreements

For additional information on any of these items, click the item in the list above.