It’s not necessary to have a lot of worldly goods in order to need help with an estate. Even someone who has nothing more than some money in the bank, a life insurance policy, and a few belongings in an apartment needs to make plans for what will happen after they die. That’s where help from an estate planning law attorney in Topeka, KS will come in handy. Here are some of the ways that the attorney can help.
Taking an Objective Look at the Client’s Current Situation
The best way to begin the estate planning process is by taking a good look at the situation of the client today. This will mean taking an inventory of all belongings and financial assets. Many people are surprised to learn that some of the things they own are worth more than they realized. It’s only after an estate planning law attorney in Topeka, KS points out that certain things have the potential to generate more wealth that the client truly has an idea of the fiscal worth.
Creating Basic Documents
Once the inventory is done, the next step is to prepare documents that ensure all assets are passed on in an orderly fashion. The attorney can ensure the wording of those documents leaves no room for doubt. That can be important when the individual wants to ensure that certain assets are passed on to specific individuals and that others are pointedly not included in the distribution of wealth. With the right approach, documents like last wills and testaments will be difficult to override, no matter who chooses to challenge the plans.
Choosing an Executor
The attorney can provide guidelines for choosing a person to serve as the executor of the estate. That individual will be charged with the task of ensuring that all assets and belongings are distributed according to the wishes of the deceased. As the attorney will point out, the executor does not necessarily have to be a member of the family. If a trusted friend has the skills needed to manage the process responsibly, that would be a better approach.
Even if there are not a lot of assets on hand, today is the day to think about estate planning. Contact us for an appointment and bring along any information or documents about cash, stocks, insurance, and other financial holdings. It will not take long to develop a plan and ensure the estate is in order.
