Welcome and Registration Please use your legal name as it appears on your license or government-issue ID
Contact You Our office would like to discuss an Estate Plan option specifically for your needs. One of our qualified attorneys will be happy to assist in determining a plan just for you. We will contact you as soon as possible with the information you have provided.
Your Contact Details Your full legal name is required for your estate planning documents. This would be the name you are referred to on your driver’s license, social security card, passport or other federal government ID. Do not forget to add your full middle name if you have one. If your driver’s license, social security card, passport, or other forms of identification do not match, use the full name indicated on your driver’s license and list the other names in the “also known as” field.
Your Spouse Information Please use your legal name as it appears on your license or government-issue ID
Total Estate Value Valuing your estate involves determining the financial worth of your assets which includes real estate properties, financial accounts (such as bank and brokerage accounts), investments (like stocks and bonds), retirement savings, life insurance policies, business interests, vehicles, valuable jewelry, collectibles, and any other possessions of value. For financial accounts and investments, it typically means assessing the current balance or market value. Real estate is valued based on its fair market value, which is the price it would sell for in the open market. Business interests may be valued by considering their profitability, assets, and market conditions. Personal possessions like jewelry and collectibles are appraised based on their current market value or sentimental value, if applicable.
Children and Beneficiaries If you have minor children, you will be provided with the option to establish a trust for their benefit. A children's trust is a trust funded 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 a mature age.
Children When answering these questions, please include all children, regardless of age, including any stepchildren. FOR MINOR CHILDREN: If you have a child under the age of 18, we recommend setting up a standalone Children’s Trust to manage their inheritance. This trust helps protect their inheritance from creditors, decreases estate administration costs and ensures that your beneficiaries receive their inheritance at an age that you specify. When you set up a Children’s Trust, you and your spouse will be the primary trustees (unless you designate someone else). You will also be asked to name successor trustees to manage the Children’s Trust if you and your spouse are unavailable (due to death, disability or otherwise). FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN: For a child with special needs who currently receives or may qualify for governmental benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income, we recommend creating a separate special needs trust. This arrangement ensures that your child can inherit funds without jeopardizing their eligibility for these crucial benefits. This type of trust required additional counselling with your attorney. Please contact the office at 215-997-9773 to make a complimentary appointment to discuss more comprehensive planning.
Beneficiary Information In deciding how to distribute your assets, please note that if you are married, we assume that you will leave all of your assets to your spouse and then your children (if applicable). In this section, you are being asked to designate a beneficiary to receive your assets if you are not married at the time of your death and have no children. Your beneficiary may be an individual(s) or a charity. If you decide to leave assets to a charity, please provide the full name and location of the charity. NOTE: Your beneficiary will only receive assets that pass through your Will. Assets that have named beneficiaries, such as life insurance policies, retirement accounts, annuities, etc., will be distributed according to the beneficiary forms you completed.
Children Information Please provide the full legal name, date of birth, and parental status for each child and step-child. Please remember, if you are married, this estate planning tool will leave your estate to your spouse. This division of property will only happen if your spouse predeceases you. Your Last Will and Testament will distribute assets in your estate at the time of your death. Any assets that have named beneficiaries will follow those instructions rather than your Last Will and Testament. It is important to consider both types of assets when deciding how your estate will be divided. If you do not intend to leave everything to your spouse first and then your children, you will need additional planning beyond the scope of this online estate planning tool, and we recommend you call our office at (919)-372-0060 for a free Needs Assessment call.
Spouse - Beneficiary Information In deciding who and how to leave your assets, please remember that we have assumed if you are married that you will leave 100% of your assets to your spouse. This division of property will only happen upon the second spouse to pass. A beneficiary may be an individual(s) or a charity. If you are not leaving your estate to your spouse first and then to your children equally, please list your desired beneficiaries and note the percentage each will receive.
Guardians for Your Minor Children In your Will, it is important to designate a Guardian for your minor child. This person will be responsible for the day-to-day care and upbringing of your child if you and your spouse are no longer living or unable to care for your child. Many considerations go into the determination regarding who you would like to be the guardian of your minor child as each family’s situation is unique. Some things to consider are whether the guardian’s values and parenting philosophy aligns with yours, whether the guardian is financially and emotionally stable, the location of the guardian and their age and health. CAUTION: If you are divorced, please note that the surviving biological parent is typically favored by the courts to be named as guardian. If you choose to name someone other than the surviving biological parent as the first guardian, the legal system may still grant custody to the surviving biological parent unless that parent has been legally deemed unfit to serve as parent/guardian. We do not recommend selecting more than one individual (such as a married couple) to be co-guardians as this can introduce potential complications. For instance, if the couple separates/divorces, it may disrupt the stability of your child’s upbringing. If you do choose to have co-guardians who will serve jointly, the co-guardians will have to make decisions together so be sure that they are able to get along.
Children's Trustee The trustee of your minor’s trust is responsible for managing the trust assets and making investment and distribution decisions as outlined in the trust’s terms. The trustee will have legal fiduciary duties to manage the trust assets prudently. This individual should be someone you trust implicitly to manage financial matters responsibly and in the best interests of your minor child. It is not uncommon for the guardian and trustee to be the same person. We recommend naming a primary and secondary trustee. We do not recommend naming co-trustees as this can lead to complications due to potential disagreements, inefficiency and divided accountability. Should you wish to name co-guardians, please consider selecting individuals who get along.
Spouse Trustee A Trustee is the person who manages the assets held in trust. Your Spouse will be your default trustee. You can name an alternative trustee should be your spouse or primary trustee not service. The Personal Representative is the person who administers the estate. Its common to have the same person be the Personal Representative 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.
Executor The Executor (also known as a Personal Representative) is the person appointed by a probate court to settle your estate. The Executor’s job is to identify and obtain access to your assets, make sure that your expenses and taxes are paid and distribute assets to your beneficiaries. The Executor’s role is both financial and managerial. 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. We recommend not choosing to have Executors serve jointly as this can unnecessarily complicate the administration of your estate since the co-Executors will have to make decisions jointly and both may be required to sign court filings, contracts, checks, and other documents. If you decide that you would like your agents to serve jointly, please consider selecting individuals who get along.
Spouse/Partner - Executor The Executor (also known as a Personal Representative) is the person appointed by a probate court to settle your estate. The Executor’s job is to identify and obtain access to your assets, make sure that your expenses and taxes are paid and distribute assets to your beneficiaries. The Executor’s role is both financial and managerial. 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. We recommend not choosing to have Executors serve jointly as this can unnecessarily complicate the administration of your estate since the co-Executors will have to make decisions jointly and both may be required to sign court filings, contracts, checks, and other documents. If you decide that you would like your agents to serve jointly, please consider selecting individuals who get along and can work together.
Financial Power of Attorney Your financial power of attorney agent is the person you designate to handle your financial matters. Your agent will have the legal authority to act on your behalf as if they were you. Since this is a financial role, when determining who to designate as your agent, your analysis should be similar to how you chose your Executor/Personal Representative/Successor Trustee. It is common to have the same person serving in multiple roles. If you choose to have agents who will serve jointly, they will have to make decisions together. As such you should consider selecting individuals who are able to get along. Your financial power of attorney is durable, meaning that once the document is executed, your agent will immediately have the legal authority to act on your behalf, This authority will continue in full force and effect even if you become incapacitated. If you prefer a springing power of attorney, which is effective only if you become incapacitated, please contact our office at 215-997-9773 for a complimentary call to discuss more comprehensive planning.
Financial Power of Attorney-Spouse/Partner Your financial power of attorney agent is the person you designate to handle your financial matters and they will have the legal authority to act on your behalf as if they were you. Since this is a financial role, when determining who to designate as your agent, your analysis should be similar to how you chose your Executor/Personal Representative/Successor Trustee. It is common to have the same person serving in multiple roles. If you choose to have agents who will serve jointly, they will have to make decisions together. As such you should consider selecting individuals who are able to get along. Your financial power of attorney is durable, meaning that once the document is executed, your agent will immediately have the legal authority to act on your behalf, This authority will continue in full force and effect even if you become incapacitated. If you prefer a springing power of attorney, which is effective only if you become incapacitated, please contact our office at 215-997-9773 for a complimentary call to discuss more comprehensive planning.
Health Care Power of Attorney Your Health Care Power of Attorney Agent is the person you appoint to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so. Your agent will play a crucial role in ensuring that your medical wishes are respected and followed when you are unable to communicate or make decisions for yourself. Select someone who would be comfortable serving in this role and understands your values, beliefs and preferences regarding medical treatments, end-of-life care and quality of life considerations. We do not recommend selecting two individuals to jointly serve as your health care power of attorney agents since this can lead to complications and conflicts in decision-making and confusion for health care providers if the agents disagree. Designate at least one alternate agent in case your primary agent is unavailable or unwilling to serve.
Health Care Power of Attorney-Spouse/Partner Your Health Care Power of Attorney Agent is the person you appoint to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so. Your agent will play a crucial role in ensuring that your medical wishes are respected and followed when you are unable to communicate or make decisions for yourself. Select someone who would be comfortable serving in this role and understands your values, beliefs and preferences regarding medial treatments, end-of-life care and quality of life considerations. We do not recommend selecting two individuals to jointly serve as your health care power of attorney agents since this can lead to complications and conflicts in decision-making and confusion for health care providers if the agents disagree. Designate at least one alternate agent in case your primary agent is unavailable or unwilling to serve.
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. We do not recommend selecting two individuals to jointly serve as your agents since this can lead to complications and conflicts in decision-making and confusion for health care providers if the agents disagree. If you do decide to designate co-agents, please consider selecting individuals who get along. Designate at least one alternate agent in case your primary agent is unavailable or unwilling to serve.
Living Will Spouse/Partner 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. We do not recommend selecting two individuals to jointly serve as your agents since this can lead to complications and conflicts in decision-making and confusion for health care providers if the agents disagree. If you do decide to designate co-agents, please consider selecting individuals who get along. Designate at least one alternate agent in case your primary agent is unavailable or unwilling to serve. Update