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Estate Planning

Plans For
whatever life hands you

No matter who you are or what stage of life you’re in, estate planning can help. Whether you’re single or married, starting out or retired, a customized plan can manage where you are and protect where you want to go. Schedule a free meeting with one of our experts.

Lifetime Support 
For Every Stage of Your Life

We’re not your typical law firm, and we take a lot of pride in that fact. We consider every phase of life when creating plans, and we believe your estate plan should work whenever you need it. That’s why we not only create customized plans for today, we also provide annual reviews and lifetime support, on us. We’ve worked with thousands of families in Ohio to ensure they don’t encounter the crippling costs of long-term care, tax structure implications, and so much more. We are the experts, because we focus exclusively on elder care and estate planning. Make us your partner.

Plan Now for Peace of Mind Later

A personalized plan is based on your goals, not charts and forms. We listen, help you focus on what matters most, and make plans for getting there.

 

With Estate Planning from AlerStallings, you get:

 

 

Solace

that your children will have the right physical and financial care

Relief

that your blended family may experience limited conflict and complexity

Confidence

that you’ll get more in IRA distributions and pay less in taxes

Comfort

that comes with knowing your estate won’t end up in Probate

Knowledge

that if you need a Trust, you’ll have one that meets your needs

Pride

that you’ve protected the Farm your family worked so hard to build

Certainty

that you’ve taken care of important estate planning basics

Plans That
Evolve With You

An estate plan is not something you set and forget. The plans you have in place today may be very different from the plans you need next year. That’s why we plan yearly, on-the-house reviews of your plan.

Our Estate Planning services include:

  • Planning for Young Children

    Protect your child’s future by arranging for the best physical and financial care

  • Blended Family Planning

    Reduce the possibility of conflict and complexity with clear plans

  • IRA Protection

    Be ready to put more money in your pocket and pay less toward taxes

  • Probate Protection

    Help your family avoid the probate process, saving them time, stress, and money

  • Trust Planning

    Decide if you need a device to hold and distribute certain assets

  • Farm Legacy Planning

    Make plans now to protect your family farm for future generations

  • Estate Planning Basics

    Be sure that you have key legal documents for every stage of life

Thoughts from Our Clients

We’re not the only ones who believe in our approach. Thousands of Ohioans have worked with us over the years. Here are just a few comments from them.

” We would challenge anyone to find a more comprehensive firm in the practice of Elder Law. ”

-Emerson and Joanne Lake, Middlesburg Heights OH

“The Elder Law attorneys at AlerStallings made a scary process easy to understand. Our wishes were respected throughout the entire process.”

-Robert and Deborah Schmidt, Tiffin OH

” With AlerStallings you’re getting top-notch attorneys that are there for your family’s best interest, not theirs.”

-Don Brown, Piqua OH

” There was none of the arrogance you get with a lot of law firms. It was just a great experience.”

-Hal Ackley, West Liberty OH

” We would challenge anyone to find a more comprehensive firm in the practice of Elder Law. ”

-Emerson and Joanne Lake, Middlesburg Heights OH

“The Elder Law attorneys at AlerStallings made a scary process easy to understand. Our wishes were respected throughout the entire process.”

-Robert and Deborah Schmidt, Tiffin OH

” With AlerStallings you’re getting top-notch attorneys that are there for your family’s best interest, not theirs.”

-Don Brown, Piqua OH

” There was none of the arrogance you get with a lot of law firms. It was just a great experience.”

-Hal Ackley, West Liberty OH

Our Goal is to Help You

Reach Your Goals

 

We know estate planning can seem tricky and even intimidating. That’s why our firm focuses exclusively on estate planning and elder care. We take the time to listen to your concerns and navigate complex and personal matters. We exist to help people make the best decisions for their families, and we do it with heart. Your life story is all your own, and your plans should be uniquely yours.

 

 

 

Need a Bit More Clarity?

Having questions is common, and encouraged. We want you to feel comfortable and informed.
With that in mind, here are a few of the questions we hear most often.

Estate planning is generally the term used to describe the process of organizing and planning for when you become incapacitated and for the transfer of your wealth upon your death. Essentially estate planning is two-prong: 1. Naming powerholders who can make decisions about your financial and medical state during your lifetime when you cannot or chose not to manage your affairs yourself and 2. Addressing what happens to your assets when you die. Specifically, making sure that what you have goes to whom you want, in the amount and manner you desire, such as by outright bequests or the placing of assets in a trust for the benefit of the spouse, children or grandchildren.

A revocable trust can be revoked as long as those who granted the trust are of sound mind. Revocable trusts allow your assets to avoid the probate process, which is often a big financial burden on your estate. A Revocable trust provides more control over how distributions are made. An irrevocable trust cannot be revoked, so the document will continue to exist for as long as the terms of the trust dictate. This trust cannot be terminated prematurely. With careful drafting, an irrevocable trust can meet your goal (asset protection, tax planning) and allow flexibility in customization. When used properly, irrevocable trusts can be used to protect your assets from Long-Term Care.

Probably a lot more than you think. Rarely do people put pen to paper and add up all their stuff. This oversight leads to risk exposure to taxes, probate and long-term care costs you never even considered. And don’t forget to include you retirement accounts and cash death benefits from insurance too. I promise you Uncle Sam won’t forget, even if you forgot to plan.

This is an agreement with three parties: Trust-makers, the Trustees (or Trust Managers), and the Trust Beneficiaries. For example, a husband and wife may name themselves all three parties to create their trust, manage all the assets transferred to the trust, and have full use and enjoyment of all the trust assets as beneficiaries. Further “back-up” managers can step in under the terms of the trust to manage the assets should the couple become incapacitated or die. Special provisions in the trust also control the management and distribution of assets to heirs in the event of the trust-maker’s death. With proper planning, the couple also can avoid or eliminate death taxes on their estate. The Revocable Living Trust may allow them to accomplish all this outside of any court proceeding.

Rule of thumb, your plan should be reviewed at least once every five years. That being said, it really depends on where you are in life and what life events have occurred. Events like a new child, grand kids, selling/buying property, retirement, heath changes, nursing home and family passing, all probably warrant a call to your attorney to see if your docs need updates or a tune-up. Remember that your estate plan is a living thing. As life changes, so should your plan.

Let us help protect your family's future.