Mission Hills Estate Planning Attorney

Seasoned Estate Planning Attorneys Provide Personalized Advice to Clients in Mission Hills, CA

Estate planning is not merely an issue that should be important for the very wealthy, and is not merely a tax avoidance scheme—every single person should have some type of estate plan in place in order to protect their loved ones and assets in the event of death or extreme disability. A verbal plan that is expressed to loved ones is simply not sufficient to ensure that your wishes will be carried out, and your values protected, in these circumstances. an estate plan can start out as a simple set of just a few brief documents to ensure that your wishes are known, and eventually branch out into a comprehensive asset protection and distribution plan as your circumstances change.

At the Law Offices of Darrell C. Harriman, I have empathy for clients who may have a difficult time discussing their estate planning needs. I also understand that it is impossible to accurately predict the future, which makes it essential to retain the best possible legal representation in formulating your plan for that uncertain future. Safeguarding your wishes is my top priority, so contact my offices so that I can go to work in evaluating your estate planning needs today.

Basic Estate Planning Documentation

Estate planning is all about documenting your wishes in anticipation of a time when you are no longer in a position to make those wishes verbally known. Because human memory is inherently unreliable, estate planning necessarily involves a significant amount of paperwork. The following types of documents will have a significant role in most Mission Hills estate plans:

• Revocable Living Trusts. This type of trust document is one that can be changed over time, and provides for a transfer of assets into a trust, which will benefit certain named beneficiaries, in order to remove those assets from the probate estate. This means that those assets will not have to go through the lengthy and expensive probate process. A revocable living trust designates a trustee, and usually a co-trustee, to manage the assets and eventually control distributing those assets to your loved ones.
• Last Will and Testament. A will, or pour-over will, handles the assets that are not transferred into trust. Specific procedures, including having witnesses to the will’s execution, are used in order to prevent future will contests and ensure the validity of the will.