To keep your loved ones from fighting with each other.  You need a will so you can decide who will administer your estate, who will benefit from your estate, and the age at which minor children will receive what you intend to give them.  If you die without a will, the court or statute, decide these things for you – perhaps, without asking the one person that is best suited to carry out your wishes, and without allowing for flexibility in dealing with any particular needs.  You also need a will to minimize taxes payable at the time of your death, as well as following your death. Don’t leave your family reeling after the wrong person is chosen to manage your affairs, let the Team at Amin Law guide you.

You need a POA for Property so you can control your finances, even if you are no longer mentally or physically able to make financial decisions.  The key is to appoint someone you know and trust completely, who will carry out your instructions, and will act only in your best interests. It is best to choose someone who is skilled in financial matters themselves.   You can choose to sign a Continuing Power of Attorney for Property, which takes effect immediately on signing, or a “standard” Power of Attorney for Property, which only takes effect when you become incapable.

A POA for Personal Care allows you to instruct someone you trust to make healthcare decisions on your behalf when you are no longer mentally capable to make them yourself.  Healthcare decisions include: consenting to medical treatment, nutrition, clothing, housing, hygiene, and safety. A Power of Attorney for Personal Care tells caregivers, and the person you have appointed, the categories of personal care that your attorney is allowed to make decisions about in the event of your incapacity.

No.  Estate Planning is incredibly complicated, touching many contingencies throughout time that are specific to each individual’s family, health, and property situation.  Moreover, Wills and POAs are very carefully worded to effect or avoid significant legal consequences which may not be understood by the general public which may result in the document being invalidated by the Courts, or have unwanted effects in your situation.  The team at Amin Law will take the time to listen carefully to your particular situation, and to strategize with you about the best course of action. Also, our data bank is filled with time-tested provisions that will achieve only the result you intend. The risk of a D-I-Y option going wrong, is too high!  Don’t tarnish your memory by leaving behind only chaos and strife for your loved ones.

Probably not.  As your life circumstances change, your will must be amended or re-written to reflect those changes.  Major life events, for example: a marriage, separation or divorce, will have serious implications for your will and estate plan.  Also, a death of an executor, or the birth (or adoption) of a (or another) child will require an update. Finally, a significant change in assets whether that be an increase or a decrease in value will necessitate another look to see whether those changes affect any of your estate planning decisions.

Absolute Confidentiality and care to fully document and actualize YOUR intentions above anyone else’s.  You can expect that our Team is going to be diligent to ensure that we are hearing about what YOU want, and not what the loudest or most controlling member of your family wants.  It is vital that you are the one person that we are hearing from, and that you are not being influenced by any other person. This will require private meetings in which we ask loved ones to wait outside.

You can also expect that we will be assessing your capacity to draft these documents.  We want to be sure that you understand what you are doing when you draft a will or a POA, and that you know the intricate powers, responsibilities, and benefits you are giving or withholding to each person you choose.  Most importantly, we need to ensure that we can protect the document against a legal battle with survivors not happy with the arrangements you put in place, by documenting evidence of your capacity, and recording the “why” to each decision you make. You can also expect that we will be assessing your capacity to draft these documents.  We want to be sure that you understand what you are doing when you draft a will or a POA, and that you know the intricate powers, responsibilities, and benefits you are giving or withholding to each person you choose.  Most importantly, we need to ensure that we can protect the document against a legal battle with survivors not happy with the arrangements you put in place, by documenting evidence of your capacity, and recording the “why” to each decision you make.