Registration Info Your full legal name is required for your estate planning documents. This would be the name listed on your social security card, passport, or other federal identification documents. Please be sure to include your middle name or initial if listed on your documentation.
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.
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 If you are married, your spouse will be selected as your primary agent throughout this estate planning process. Please know that you are not required to have your spouse as your primary agent, and you may choose to have another individual act as your agent.
Your Spouse Information Please use your legal name as it appears on your license or government-issue ID
Beneficiary, Children, & Trust This tool assumes that if you are married, you will leave your estate to your spouse. If you do not intend to leave everything to your spouse first and then your children, we recommend that you contact our office for more comprehensive planning. If your spouse predeceases you, your children will receive your estate as outlined on this page. Please select the age that your child or children will have full access and control of their inheritance. If a child is under the age of 18, their inheritance will go into a trust to be managed by an adult. In the event your child or children predecease you, please select either the per stirpes or per capita designation. The per stirpes designation will pay your deceased child’s share to that child’s descendants. The per capita designation will distribute your estate to your remaining living child or children.
Beneficiary Information 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. This section allows you to name a beneficiary to receive your assets upon your death through your last will and testament. A beneficiary may be an individual or a charity. If you choose to leave any of your assets to a charity, please enter the charity’s address after the charity’s full name. In the event your beneficiary predeceases you, please select either the per stirpes or per capita designation. The per stirpes designation will pay your deceased beneficiaries’ share to that beneficiaries’ descendants. The per capita designation will distribute your estate to your remaining living beneficiaries. Your Last Will and Testament will distribute assets in your estate at the time of your death. Any assets that have named beneficiaries, like life insurance or retirement accounts, 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.
Children When answering these questions, please answer the questions based on all your children including any stepchildren. If any of your children are under the age of 18, we recommend setting up a trust for your child or children, you will be able to appoint a trustee to manage your child’s inheritance. Your trustee will be responsible for investing, handling, and providing distributions to your child as they see fit. Once your child reaches an age that you predetermine, your child will then have full access to their inheritance.
Guardians for Your Minor Children In your Last Will and Testament, it is important to designate a Guardian for your minor child or children. A Guardian is a person who is responsible for the day to day needs of a minor child and who steps into the role of being the parent if you are no longer living or unable to care for your child. As a word of caution, 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 the surviving biological parent has been legally deemed unfit to serve as parent/guardian.
Children Information Name your children and/or step children. Determine how to distribution your estate and when you would distributed.
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 you spouse or primary trustee not survive. The Executor is the person who administers the estate. Its common to have the same person be the Executor and Trustee.
Spouse 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 you spouse or primary trustee not survive. The Executor is the person who administers the estate. Its common to have the same person be the Executor and Trustee.
Personal Representative Please enter your Personal Representative information on this page. A Personal Representative’s job is to locate and manage the deceased’s assets, ensure that expenses and taxes are paid, and distribute the remaining assets to the beneficiaries named in the deceased’s Last Will and Testament. The role of a Personal Representative is both financial and managerial. When selecting someone for this role, consider naming a person who is good with finances or who is willing to seek professional guidance to make prudent and reasonable decisions.
Personal Representative - Spouse/Partner Please enter your Personal Representative information on this page. A Personal Representative’s job is to locate and manage the deceased’s assets, ensure that expenses and taxes are paid, and distribute the remaining assets to the beneficiaries named in the deceased’s Last Will and Testament. The role of a Personal Representative is both financial and managerial. When selecting someone for this role, consider naming a person who is good with finances or who is willing to seek professional guidance to make prudent and reasonable decisions.
Financial Durable POA: Your Financial Power of Attorney Agent is the person you name to step into your shoes to handle financial matters for you and has legal authority to carry out the powers 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 your Financial Power of Attorney Agent(s), 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. It is not uncommon to have the same person serving in both roles. By default, powers of attorney are durable, meaning they are effective immediately and remain in effect even if you become incapacitated. If you prefer a springing power of attorney—which becomes effective only upon your incapacitation—or another arrangement, please contact our office for comprehensive planning by calling: 931-651-1900.
Financial Durable POA-Spouse/Partner Your Financial Power of Attorney Agent is the person you name to step into your shoes to handle financial matters for you and has legal authority to carry out the powers 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 your Financial Power of Attorney Agent(s), 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. It is not uncommon to have the same person serving in both roles. By default, powers of attorney are durable, meaning they are effective immediately and remain in effect even if you become incapacitated. If you prefer a springing power of attorney—which becomes effective only upon your incapacitation—or another arrangement, please contact our office for comprehensive planning by calling: 931-651-1900.
Health Care POA Your Health Care Power of Attorney Agent will make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so yourself. When picking a Health Care Power of Attorney Agent, pick someone who would be comfortable serving in this role. Also, consider whether that person would have similar ideas as you regarding medical care.
Health Care POA - Spouse/Partner Name someone (agents) to make medical decisions on your behalf in the event that you are unable to make those decisions for yourself