Protect Your Family and Future
Contact an Estate Planning Attorney for Legal Services Near Boise, ID
At McFarland Ritter, we know what it means to work hard for your family and your security. We also know what a weighty subject it can be to think about your legacy and what you’d like to leave this world after you’re gone. If you're looking to protect your family and your future through legal means, we're here to answer your questions, make plans, and put those protections in place.
Civil Lawyers for Estate Planning, Trusts, Living Wills, and Power of Attorney
As part of our estate planning services, we offer help with:
Estate Planning
Estate lawyers practice a subset of civil law that encompasses a lot of the other services listed here, as well as important decisions such as guardianship for minor children, business succession planning, and more. This is not a one-time task, but something that grows and changes with you as the years pass.
Wills and Probate Law
A significant part of estate planning is writing a will to make the future probate process simple and effective. If you are the expected recipient of items from a relative whose assets are tied up in probate, we can also provide legal advice on how to navigate those issues. We can initiate and walk you through the probate process, whether your loved one died with or without a will.
Medical and Financial Powers of Attorney
As with most of the services discussed here, powers of attorney become even more helpful when they are assigned sooner rather than later. Life is unpredictable, and having a plan in place should the unthinkable happen can bring immeasurable peace of mind to daily life.
Medical power of attorney (i.e. healthcare proxy) allows you to appoint another person to make healthcare decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated or unable to communicate your wishes.
Financial power of attorney grants another person authority to make financial and legal decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated or unable to handle your own financial matters.
Both of these documents are essential to making sure your wishes are respected–medically and financially–in exigent circumstances.
Family Trusts
Setting up a trust for your family is one way to protect family wishes in unforeseen circumstances. The terms of a trust can help you enjoy your future more fully because you know the plan: who executes the trust, which parties receive which permissions and assets, and more. It also protects family assets from individual financial mistakes.
Living Wills
A living will is a critical legal document that outlines your healthcare wishes should you become incapacitated or unable to communicate them yourself. This document allows you to express your preferences for medical treatments, such as life support, resuscitation, and end-of-life care.
By having a living will in place, you reduce the burden on family members who may be forced to make difficult decisions on your behalf. It ensures that your healthcare providers follow your wishes and that your loved ones are not left in the dark about your desires in critical medical situations.
Prenuptial (Prenup) Agreements
Blending households is a challenge, especially if either household has significant assets and/or children. If you want to ensure equitable distribution of those assets in the case of divorce or death, a prenuptial agreement is in every relationship's best interest.
Asset Protection
If you own a business, stock holdings, various retirement accounts, real estate, and other assets, there are legal mechanisms you can institute to minimize personal risks attached to those assets, provide maximum tax protections, and ensure those assets go to the right person down the line.
When it comes to legally preparing for the future, the future really is now
The sooner you can make these decisions and put protections in place, the greater the likelihood that your wishes will be carried out and the more soundly you'll be able to sleep at night. To discuss these issues with an estate planning attorney in the Boise, ID area (including Meridian, Eagle, Nampa, Caldwell, and more), contact McFarland Ritter here today.