Probate
West and Southwest Michigan Probate and Estate Planning Attorneys
Ironically, even people who plan every other aspect of their lives often neglect estate planning. If you neglect estate and succession planning, you could put heirs at a decided disadvantage if you should die without a will.
Estate planning can help you pass as much of your property as possible directly to your beneficiaries without probate, and make certain that your final wishes are carried out. If probate is necessary, we are skilled administrators, probate litigators, executors, and advisors.
Don’t let this happen to you. Contact McPhillips & McDowell, PLC, the Apple Street Law Office, probate and estate planning attorneys serving the St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids areas.
Michigan Living Wills, Living Trusts, and Beneficiary Rights
Living wills and advance health care directives have been in the news recently because, if you are unable to make decisions for yourself due to a serious illness or injury, your next of kin must make them on your behalf. Unfortunately, these decisions are extremely complex and difficult, and sometimes family members disagree. No one wants to put their family through the heart-wrenching pain of being unable to decide what is the right thing to do. You can be comforted by the knowledge that those decisions have been made in advance and are recorded in a living will.
For situations in which you still need the use of your property but are planning on leaving it to a loved one or charity, a living trust can safeguard your assets for your beneficiary, ensuring the smooth and seamless transfer of your property in a way that truly reflects your intent. Living trusts can provide you with certain tax advantages.
We can also help you analyze your insurance needs, joint checking accounts, partnerships, and co-owned property as part of your estate plan. Many estate planning instruments such as these can pass property directly, without probate, guaranteeing your beneficiary’s rights.
To learn more about those advantageous estate planning instruments,
contact McPhillips & McDowell, PLC, the Apple Street Law Office, to arrange for a confidential consultation.
Ethical Wills- Testaments to a Life Well-Lived
McPhillips & McDowell, PLC, the Apple Street Law Office, is proud to present a new service that is part of its probate and estate planning: the ethical will, a testament to a life well-lived.
In addition to providing all the protections of a simple will, the ethical will provides the testament of your life, offering your family an explanation of why you have lived your life in your special way, what values and ethics motivated you and clarify why these things were important to you.
An ethical will is your opportunity to explain the meaning behind certain bequests or the reason you chose to leave a special heirloom to a particular person. It is also a chance to set the tone for the distribution of your assets and a chance to clarify your wishes and preferences for how your assets should be used after distribution.
The ethical will becomes a family historical document that will be read and reread for generations to come. It is truly a final gift to your loved ones, the testament to a live well-lived.
Contact McPhillips & McDowell, PLC, to learn more about ethical wills, a family testimonial.
