Prince George’s County Estate Planning Lawyer

Estate Planning for the Modern Family

Do you have a plan to transfer your wealth and assets to the next generation? What about a plan to ensure that you and your assets are taken care of in the event that you cannot manage your affairs? How do you dispose of your assets when you are part of a blended family? Are there any special considerations for same-sex couples? Do you know what happens to your assets when you die? What legacy do you want to leave to your family, whether during your lifetime, during their lifetime, or for a future generation?

If you are having trouble answering any of those questions or clarifying your responses with certainty, let Law Robin Rucker Gaillard, Esq., a Maryland Estate Planning attorney located in Largo, Prince George’s County, Maryland, assist you with finding the answers and defining your goals.

Which Estate Planning Tools can Help You Best

The Law Office of Robin Rucker Gaillard, LLC, can assist you with important estate planning matters using tools personalized and tailored just for your needs, including:

• a last will and testament
• advance health care directives
• various powers of attorney
• and a variety of trusts

A last will and testament is one type of estate planning tool that can help you transfer your assets after death. Namely, you can direct who will receive which of your assets, and under what circumstances (other than upon your death) a transfer of assets will occur.

Advance health care directives give you control over your own medical future and help you to orchestrate your medical decisions long before you are in crisis or are unable to communicate. You can identify a health care agent (as well as back up health care agents) to make your wishes known about medical procedures, medical treatments, and use of your body and organs after death.

The various powers of attorney can be used to plan for a trusted person to manage your assets and affairs in the event that you are not able to act on your own due to incapacity or if you are unavailable to personally carry out certain transactions. This may allow your family to avoid guardianship proceedings.

No matter what tool or tools you choose to use for your estate planning needs, it all starts with defining your goals; assessing the needs of your family; and marshaling your assets. We can provide comprehensive and individualized estate planning services to meet our clients’ needs in Largo, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and surrounding areas throughout Maryland. And rest assured that once you come to us for legal services, the Law Office of Robin Rucker Gaillard, LLC., is there to help you through every phase of estate planning. We will also be there to make changes to your estate planning documents as you navigate through the many changes that life brings.

It’s Never too Early to Start Estate Planning

Adults should start estate planning as soon as assets are accumulated (read: as soon as you land your first job!) or as soon as care or health concerns that could effect you and your family arise. If you wait until a financial or medical tragedy occurs, then you could subject yourself and your family members to costly legal proceedings or expose your estate to scrutiny if a legal proceeding ensues. Consider what happens when you or a family member needs skilled nursing care or when you or a family member are no longer able to make decisions about medical care or property. Consider also when you learn that a child has a permanent impairment and will need care well after your death. Estate planning helps address these and other circumstances. More importantly, planning for injury, illness, or incapacity, and for the eventuality of death, gives you options so that you can direct what happens to you and your family and to your property instead of acting imprudently out of fear or leaving things to chance.

These are just a few of the many possible tools used to create a personalized estate plan for your and your family. You should contact the Law Office of Robin Rucker Gaillard, LLC at 301-363-2933, to speak with a knowledgeable Maryland estate planning attorney about your needs, your assets, and your concerns for a more secure future. We can construct the best plan for you to achieve your goals of protecting your property and loved ones.