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If you are in you mid-fifties and haven’t planned your retirement or even thought about some kind of will, you really don’t know how far behind you are.  Imagine you are sitting in a classroom taking the most important test of your life.  You’ve answered the first three questions, you think you’re doing okay, but you look around and everyone else is finished.  Then the bell rings, you’ve flunked the test, and it is all over.  If that sounds like a nightmare, it is.  And that is what many people go through when they scramble to settle their estate at age sixty-five or seventy, or even worse, tries to do it themselves.  However, it doesn’t have to be that way.  Most people think that you go to an estate planning law firm when you are on your deathbed, but that’s not the case at all.  They can work with you over the years to organize your entire estate so that it is really worth something when it is passed on to future generations.

If you have an estate to leave to future generations and you reach your retirement years, it is only natural that your family will be curious as to who gets what.  If you don’t even understand yourself, it’s time you started thinking about planning your estate.  Get out a pen a paper to organize your thoughts and figure out all of the assets you have including property, investments, annuities, and other items like jewelry, cars and antiques.  Once your thoughts are organized, call to make an appointment with an estate planning law firm.  They will come up with a plan to distribute and manage your assets while reducing taxes and probate fees.

If you have a large estate to distribute, don’t rely on your family lawyer or accountant to execute your final wishes and settle your affairs.  When you are ready start making your final arrangements, you need to talk to an estate law planning firm.  One of the things they will talk you about is the expensive and unexpected costs that will come up upon your passing.  They will also help you plan so that these costs can be paid quickly, so they don’t hold up the distribution of assets to your heirs.  There is a lot to learn about passing on a large estate to the rightful heirs, so talking to someone with this expertise is invaluable.

It’s hard to think about life still continuing as you pass on, but it does.  Most people think about the funeral cost and the hospital bills, but there are bills like credit cards, a possible mortgage and insurance, the electric and phone, car payments and lot of other expenses that have to be tracked down and paid before anyone gets an inheritance.  An estate planning law firm can make sure that you have an account with funds that are easily accessible to pay off final bills quickly, so that your heirs can worry about other matters.

A lot of people don’t really think about estate planning until they experience a major event like a heart attack.  They make an appointment with their accountant only to realize that their estate has grown large enough to be taxed before any heirs receive their inheritance.  Hopefully, their accountant can recommend a competent estate planning law firm that can talk to them about living trusts and gifting strategies which serve to separate their assets from their estate, and in effect, lower estate taxes.

Finally, estate planning law firms can give you guidance in deciding on your final health care directive, or living will. A living will is designed to let your caregivers know what sort of health measures you want or do not want during your final illness, should you become incapacitated.  And a power of attorney for will let you choose the person to be in charge of your health care if you are unable to express your wishes. Read more about estate planning at http://www.estatecontractstrusts.com

It’s a simple reality that having a layman’s understanding of inheritance laws is simply not and adequate foundation for ensuring that your final wishes regarding your estate will be honored.  You need the professional advice available from estate planning law firms, with their knowledge both of the law and of financial planning.

Making sure that their final affairs are in order is the best way for most people to enjoy retirement, their family and their life.  Talking to an estate planning law firm is the first step to stop worrying and start relaxing.

Learn more about protecting and preserving assets with estate trusts including tips on estate law, revocable trusts, making a will, estate planning living trusts and inheritance tax.