|
The best decisions regarding your health and finances are the ones you
make yourself. Every person should a Last Will and Testament, Powers
of Attorney (Financial and Healthcare), Advanced Directive, Living Will
and Trust. This is especially important for persons with young or
disabled children, families who wish to protect their assets and for people
with strong views about their medical care. The Estate Plan can
address the special needs of the growing and changing family.
The Estate Plan addresses your wishes and concerns with regard to
The care of minor children
Providing for disabled family members
Transitioning a family owned-business
Not wanting to be kept alive by machine
Protection from untrustworthy family members
Minimizing gift and estate taxes
Avoiding probate
What decisions should you make now?
Health care: A health care power
of attorney allows you to appoint a surrogate to make decisions regarding
your medical treatment and disclosure of medical records if you are unable
to do so.
Life-prolonging measures: An advanced
directive and living will allows you to decide whether you wish to be
kept alive by artificial means and what kind of procedures you wish to
undergo if you are incompetent or unconscious and cannot express your
wishes to the doctor.
Often, the making of end-of-life decisions is easier than explaining your
decisions to your family and expressing how important it is to you for
these decisions to be carried out.
Finances: Powers of attorney
and trust allow you to decide who will manage your money and assets and
how those assets are spent if you are unable to make those decisions.
Beneficiaries at my death: Executing
a will allows you to determine how your assets are given away at your
death. You will be able to provide security to your loved one’s
instead of allowing the North Carolina intestacy statutes to make the
decisions for you.
A Special Needs Trust protects disabled family members from losing public
benefits and other forms of assistance when gifted money or other assets
from their loved ones. A trust also insures that the gifted assets
are use for the care and well being of the disabled person. Without
a special needs trust, a disabled family member could lose much-needed
public resources.
Mary Ann Dalton can help you act now to make these decisions, execute
the proper documents and express your wishes to your loved ones.
If you would like her to assist you, please email
herring mills & kratt, plllc
or
call (919) 821-1860 to schedule an appointment or request a brochure.
|
