estate planning

“Fill-in-the-Blank Estate Plans” By Rick Law, of Law ElderLaw in Aurora, IL

Most estate planning has been reduced to a commodity service, because the public thinks of their estate plan as just fill in the blank documents. It’s not your fault!  Millions of advertising dollars are spent to convince you that all you need to do is purchase some forms and fill in the blanks. This type of estate planning leads to the validation of the timeworn saying, “You get what you pay for.”  If you purchase and fill in the blanks on your own estate documents, then you are the lawyer. If you choose a cheap fill-in-the-blank lawyer, you can expect that lawyer to intend to spend as little talent and time as possible to deliver to you a cookie-cutter estate plan. Our clients choose our law firm because they want  “the best” estate planning law attorneys. Our clients’ estate plans affect the most valuable assets that they own and their most important loved ones. They want someone to listen to their stories, fears and hopes and design an estate plan that fits their situation.  They want their advisors to think ahead and take appropriate steps to avoid future potholes. One of the most time-consuming, tedious and mission-critical steps in estate planning is to work with clients to fund their trusts. “Trust funding” means changing the title ownership of real estate; the beneficiary designation of policies and annuities; the titling of brokerage accounts; and the ownership all other assets to fit the estate plan. Hours of labor must be invested so that when a client either becomes frail and vulnerable or dies, then the plan fulfills the client’s goals. A fill-in-the-blank estate plan leads to chaos and an enormous legal fee to do the cleanup work after a loved one becomes in need of long-term care or dies. Many times family members feel cheated and angry by the distribution results of a poor plan. If you’re ready to start getting your estate in order and secure your assets for the “worst-case” scenario, please give our office a call at 630-585-5200 or 800-310-3100. Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family.  Call now. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.  Call 800-310-3100 for your free consultation now!