St. John Estate Planning Attorneys

St. John Estate Planning Attorneys

Many people are aware that they need to invest time in estate planning but feel clueless about how to do anything about it. Anybody who needs help with estate planning issues should always work with an St. John estate planning lawyer who has experience handling many of the related issues.

Estate planning is important because it allows you to be in charge of the people who will own and receive your property. Spagnolo & Hoeksema, LLC, can see to it that your desires become a reality, and all of your wishes for your family are abundantly clear should you die. 

Estate Planning Services in Indiana

Spagnolo & Hoeksema, LLC, provides a wide range of estate planning services, including assisting clients with:

• Trusts
• Wills
• Nursing home planning
• Powers of attorney

There can often be much more to estate planning than just these services. Our firm will ensure that we address all of your long-range plans and keep any unique needs in mind, regardless of whether your wishes are relatively simple or extremely complex. 

Do You Need More Than a Will?

While having a will in place will be an important step in making sure your wishes will be carried out and all of your assets go to the right people following your passing, an estate plan can involve far more than just the simple preparation of a will. You need to keep in mind many other considerations that a will might not cover. 

One important area could be health care decisions and who you will entrust to care for you should you be unable to make decisions regarding your own health care. Health care powers of attorney and living wills will be the legal documents that specifically state who any medical professionals can look to for answers as it relates to your continuing care. 

Another important component of an estate plan concerns beneficiary designations. While certain possessions and assets may be passed on to heirs without explicit mentions in a will, you may need to mention desired beneficiaries when you have insurance plans, pensions, or other assets.

Estate planning could also include durable powers of attorney, letters of intent, or guardianship designations. If you do not know which estate planning documents you need to have, that is when you should contact the legal team at Spagnolo & Hoeksema, LLC.

Think About Your Executor

You are going to want to name an executor to handle your will or trust. The executor is the person who will be in charge of managing your estate. 

An executor’s responsibilities can include handling and finalizing the probate process, protecting the assets of the deceased and the estate, paying all creditors, and distributing assets as outlined in the will or trust. When a person fails to specify an executor, there will have to be a nomination for one, and this can complicate the process and likely lead to rifts in the family or cause unneeded tension. 

You want to name an executor that you can trust, namely a person you can have honest conversations with about your financial wishes. It should also be a person you can count on to ensure that they will uphold your wishes and distribute your assets in the manner you want. 

An executor may also be a beneficiary, as many parents designate their children or spouses to be the executors of their estates. This does not mean that non-family members cannot be chosen and named as executors when people feel more comfortable with a neutral third party overseeing the details of their final wishes. 

When you are trying to figure out who to nominate as the executor of your estate, an experienced estate planning attorney will be able to help you sort through all of your options. It will be beneficial to get an objective, outside opinion on the topic of picking an executor because a lawyer can provide you with the legal advice you need to make the most informed decision as it relates to your circumstances.

The Importance of Hiring a Lawyer

It should go without saying that planning an estate is not an easy task. People who attempt to do this on their own often make mistakes, and you do not want to fail to consider important details such as taxes or do anything that leads to the distribution of property that was not the way you thought.

Estates typically need to follow certain state laws to be valid, and the process involving thinking about death and planning ahead may be challenging. The attorneys at Spagnolo & Hoeksema, LLC, can assist you in handling all of your assets properly and tailor an estate plan that fits all of your needs. 

Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a St. John Estate Planning Lawyer

Are you currently thinking that you need to begin fulfilling your own estate planning needs? Make sure that you take the time to contact an experienced attorney so you will be able to know that all of your wishes are being carried out legally and will fulfill all of your hopes as it relates to the proper distribution of your estate.

Spagnolo & Hoeksema, LLC, invests heavily in estate planning needs and can take you through the entire process of creating an estate plan on your own time. Call us or contact us online for a free consultation so we can discuss what we can do for you.