Welcome to the Blue Line Law Firm Estate Plan Questionnaire! Please use your legal name as it appears on your license or government-issue ID
Welcome Pre-Screener It is our belief that everyone should have an estate plan. However, estate plans are not “one size fits all”. This Online Estate Planning experience is only for very basic (i.e. a married person who wants to leave all their assets to their spouse then children or a single person who wants to leave all their assets to their children). This pre-screener will help you to know if this is right for you.
Total Estate Value The value of your total estate includes all assets held either in your individual name, jointly, or that you control. Assets can include but are not limited to real estate, your retirement accounts, any bank accounts, brokerage accounts, stocks, bonds, life insurance, business interests, automobiles, and valuable jewelry and collectibles. The value of the assets goes by either the amount of money held in the account or the fair market value of any real estate, tangible property, or intangible asset (e.g. business interest). This is a rough estimate and does not need to be exact in any way. It just helps us to identify if an inheritance tax may apply and you would be best suited for a living trust.
Your Contact Details Your Contact Details
Your Spouse Information Please use your legal name as it appears on your license or government-issue ID
Children and Beneficiaries If you have children and/or beneficiaries, you will be provided with the option to establish a testamentary trust for their benefit. A testamentary trust is a trust created after your passing. The trust is held for the benefit of your children until they reach a certain age. This allows for a trustee to manage a child’s inheritance until they reach 18 years of age or otherwise age/circumstance of your selection. Please remember that if your children are over the age of 18, you are not required to leave them anything. Please ask to discuss disinheritance with our team.
Beneficiary Information Name beneficiaries if you have no children.
Children Select the options that apply to you. For children under 18, you will be required to select a guardian and trustee. If your children are over 18 or you do not wish to leave a trust, then you your children will receive your estate outright.
Children Information Name your children and/or step children. Determine how to distribution your estate and when you would distributed.
Guardians for Your Minor Children Guardian is a person who takes care of the physicall needs of your child until they turn 18. If you have step children, then the surviving bioligical parent is presumed to be guardian, unless their rights have been legally teminated. You can overwrite primary Guardian
Children’s Trustee A Trustee is the person who manages the assets held in trust for your children. Your Spouse will be your default trustee. You can name an alternative trustee should be your spouse or primary trustee not service. The Executor is the person who administers the estate. Its common to have the same person be the Executor and Trustee. You can overwrite Primary Trustee. If you choose to have your Trustees serve jointly, your Trustees will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Trustees should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Trustees would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your Trustees to serve jointly, you will want to select the “serve jointly” button next to each Trustee who you wish to have serve jointly. If you wish to have only two Trustees serve jointly and another Trustee serve individually, please only select the box next to the two joint Trustees and leave the box unselected next to the Trustee you wish to serve individually.
Personal Representative A Personal Representation (also known as an Executor) is the person who is appointed by the Probate Court. A Personal Representative’s job is to determine and obtain access to the deceased’s assets, make sure that the deceased’s remaining business, expenses and taxes are paid and then make distributions of remaining assets to those named in the deceased’s Will or if no Will by the state’s intestate laws. Think of the Personal Representative’s role as a financial role. Therefore consider naming someone who you believe is good with finances or who would be willing to get professional help to guide them so that they can make prudent and reasonable decisions. Since Blue Line Law Firm is drafting your estate plan, your documents are defaulted to be administered by them if probate is needed. If you choose to have your agents serve jointly, your agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your agents to serve jointly, the system will default to all three agents serving jointly. If you wish to have only two agents serve jointly and another agent to serve individually, please unselect the box next to the agent you wish to have serve individually.
Children’s Trustee-Spouse/Partner A Trustee is the person who manages the assets held in trust for your children. Your Spouse will be your default trustee. You can name an alternative trustee should be your spouse or primary trustee not service. The Executor is the person who administers the estate. Its common to have the same person be the Executor and Trustee. You can overwrite Primary Trustee. If you choose to have your Trustees serve jointly, your Trustees will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Trustees should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Trustees would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your Trustees to serve jointly, you will want to select the “serve jointly” button next to each Trustee who you wish to have serve jointly. If you wish to have only two Trustees serve jointly and another Trustee serve individually, please only select the box next to the two joint Trustees and leave the box unselected next to the Trustee you wish to serve individually.
Personal Representative - Spouse/Partner A Personal Representation (also known as an Executor) is the person who is appointed by the Probate Court. A Personal Representative’s job is to determine and obtain access to the deceased’s assets, make sure that the deceased’s remaining business, expenses and taxes are paid and then make distributions of remaining assets to those named in the deceased’s Will or if no Will by the state’s intestate laws. Think of the Personal Representative’s role as a financial role. Therefore consider naming someone who you believe is good with finances or who would be willing to get professional help to guide them so that they can make prudent and reasonable decisions. Since Blue Line Law Firm is drafting your estate plan, your documents are defaulted to be administered by them if probate is needed. If you choose to have your agents serve jointly, your agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your agents to serve jointly, the system will default to all three agents serving jointly. If you wish to have only two agents serve jointly and another agent to serve individually, please unselect the box next to the agent you wish to have serve individually.
Financial Power of Attorney A Power of Attorney Agent is the person you name in your Power of Attorney to step into your shoes to handle (financial matters for you) .When the Power of Attorney Agent has power to act, they then have legal authority to carry out what is authorized in the document without the need of court involvement. A Power of Attorney Agent can only act in their capacity as agent for you. When picking a Power of Attorney Agent, since this is a financial role, your analysis of who it should be is very similar to how you chose who should serve as your Executor . In a way, they can be similar roles – it’s just that the Power of Attorney Agent can only act on your behalf during your life and the Executor can only act when appointed by the Probate Court after your death. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to have the same helper serving in both roles. If you choose to have your agents serve jointly, your agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your agents to serve jointly, you will want to select the “serve jointly” button next to each agent who you wish to have serve jointly. If you wish to have only two agents serve jointly and another agent serve individually, please only select the box next to the two joint agents and leave the box unselected next to the agent you wish to serve individually.
Financial POA-Spouse/Partner A Power of Attorney Agent is the person you name in your Power of Attorney to step into your shoes to handle (financial matters for you) .When the Power of Attorney Agent has power to act, they then have legal authority to carry out what is authorized in the document without the need of court involvement. A Power of Attorney Agent can only act in their capacity as agent for you. When picking a Power of Attorney Agent, since this is a financial role, your analysis of who it should be is very similar to how you chose who should serve as your Executor . In a way, they can be similar roles – it’s just that the Power of Attorney Agent can only act on your behalf during your life and the Executor can only act when appointed by the Probate Court after your death. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to have the same helper serving in both roles. If you choose to have your agents serve jointly, your agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your agents to serve jointly, you will want to select the “serve jointly” button next to each agent who you wish to have serve jointly. If you wish to have only two agents serve jointly and another agent serve individually, please only select the box next to the two joint agents and leave the box unselected next to the agent you wish to serve individually.
Health Care POA Your Health Care Agent will make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated and unable to do so yourself. When picking a Health Care Agent, pick someone who would be comfortable serving in this role. Also, consider whether that person would have similar ideas as to you regarding medical care. If your doctors ever need to say that there is nothing further they can do except to keep you “hooked up” to machines, and you would not want that, don’t pick someone who would feel the opposite or too burdened to have to make those kind of decisions. If you choose to have your Health Care Agent serve jointly, your Health Care Agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Health Care Agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Health Care Agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your Health Care Agents to serve jointly, you will want to select the “serve jointly” button next to each Health Care Agent who you wish to have serve jointly. If you wish to have only two Health Care Agents serve jointly and another Health Care Agent serve individually, please only select the box next to the two joint Health Care Agents and leave the box unselected next to the Health Care Agent you wish to serve individually.
Health Care POA - Spouse/Partner Your Health Care Agent will make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated and unable to do so yourself. When picking a Health Care Agent, pick someone who would be comfortable serving in this role. Also, consider whether that person would have similar ideas as to you regarding medical care. If your doctors ever need to say that there is nothing further they can do except to keep you “hooked up” to machines, and you would not want that, don’t pick someone who would feel the opposite or too burdened to have to make those kind of decisions. If you choose to have your Health Care Agent serve jointly, your Health Care Agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Health Care Agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Health Care Agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you select that you would like your Health Care Agents to serve jointly, you will want to select the “serve jointly” button next to each Health Care Agent who you wish to have serve jointly. If you wish to have only two Health Care Agents serve jointly and another Health Care Agent serve individually, please only select the box next to the two joint Health Care Agents and leave the box unselected next to the Health Care Agent you wish to serve individually.
Living Will A Living Will is a general declaration regarding your end-of-life wishes if you are unable to communicate them yourself. It provides written declaration to your agent that you would not want any extraordinary measures or procedures to prolong your life unnecessarily if a physician indicates that you suffer from a terminal condition or a state of permanent unconsciousness, such as a permanent coma or persistent vegetative state, and there is no realistic hope of significant recovery. If you choose to have multiple Living Will Agents serve jointly, your Living Will Agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Living Will Agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Living Will Agents would be able to get along and make decisions together that are consistent with your beliefs. If you don’t have your agents serve jointly, they will be able to serve individually, with each having the power to act individually or jointly under your Living Will document.
Additional Information Additional facts may be any additional questions you may have, it may be just general synopsis or the general direction of your will, e.g. I want everything to go to my wife, then my kids.
Signing Your Documents Some state laws require that certain parts of your health care documents be notarized and witnessed by two disinterested individuals. This means that the notary and two witnesses must not be an agent or beneficiary in your documents. If the documents are not signed properly, there is a risk that they will not be legally valid documents. To best assist you in making sure your documents are signed properly, we have designed two options that you can choose from to have your documents executed: You may choose to come to our office location where our team will have all your documents printed and ready for your signatures. We provide the notary and two witnesses. All you have to do is schedule a time and come visit! You may also choose to sign your estate planning documents virtually/remotely. If your state allows it, we will coordinate with you a date with our online notary to execute your documents right from your residence. You will need a computer with a camera and microphone for this option. Generally this is a $75 charge for this option additionally. This will still create a legally binding document. In order to use this option, you may be required to have 2 witnesses with you who are not named in the will. The last option is the cost of drafting valid estate planning documents. You will be able to confirm that the questionnaire was correctly completed and our office will confirm your choices with you. After a legal review of your documents and payment, we will then send you the documents to be able to be printed and executed by you.
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