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ESTATE PLANNING

Protect Your Legacy.
Preserve Your Wealth.

Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy — it’s for anyone who wants their family protected, their wishes honored, and their assets transferred without court delays, legal fees, or family conflict. Every adult needs a plan.

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Estate planning looks different at every stage of life. Select your situation to see what applies to you.

Young Adults & New Families

18+ · Recently married · New parent · First home · Want basic protection in place

  • Last Will & Testament — name guardians for minor children, direct your assets
  • Healthcare Directive — document your medical wishes if you can't speak for yourself
  • Financial Power of Attorney — designate someone to manage your finances if incapacitated
  • Beneficiary Designations — update retirement accounts and life insurance after marriage or birth
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Established Families

Own a home · Have significant assets · Children or dependents · Want to avoid probate and protect what you've built

  • Revocable Living Trust — transfer assets without probate; maintain privacy; appoint successor trustee
  • Last Will & Testament — ensure remaining assets go to the right people
  • Financial & Medical POA — protect financial and healthcare decisions
  • Beneficiary review — coordinating all accounts, insurance, and property into one unified plan
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High-Net-Worth Individuals

Significant assets · Business interests · Complex family structures · Focused on minimizing taxes and legacy

  • Advanced trust strategies — irrevocable trusts, asset protection trusts, charitable trusts
  • Tax minimization — estate tax planning to preserve more for your heirs
  • Business succession planning — structured transition to family or key partners
  • Multi-generational legacy planning — wealth strategies across generations
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One Missing Document Can Cost Your Family Thousands — and Years.

Without an estate plan, your assets go through probate court — a public, time-consuming, and expensive process that can take months or years to resolve. State law decides who inherits, which may not match your wishes. Family disputes arise. Healthcare decisions get made without your input.

Proper estate planning is not just about wealth — it’s about control, privacy, and protecting the people you love from unnecessary burdens at an already difficult time.

Our bilingual team provides strategic, discreet, and comprehensive estate planning — from basic wills for young adults to sophisticated trust strategies for high-net-worth clients. We ensure every document is in place, every beneficiary is correct, and every wish is documented before it’s needed.

Estate planning is not just a formality — it is an essential strategy to safeguard your assets, protect your family, and ensure your wishes are honored with precision. Every component is designed to minimize risk, avoid unnecessary costs, and provide lasting peace of mind.

Susan Portnoi, CPA/PFS

Sr. Wealth Advisor

What Happens Without an Estate Plan

Even one missing document can expose your family to these avoidable — and entirely preventable — consequences.

Probate Court

Your assets are frozen and managed by a court — a public, slow, and expensive process that can take months or years before your family sees anything.

TIME & LEGAL FEES

Family Conflict

Without clear written instructions, even close families fight over assets. Disputes among heirs can damage relationships permanently and lead to costly litigation.

IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE

State Decides for You

Without a will, state intestacy law determines who inherits — which often differs from your actual wishes. Unmarried partners and stepchildren are typically excluded entirely.

LOSS OF CONTROL

Unwanted Medical Treatment

Without a healthcare directive, medical professionals and family must guess at your wishes. You risk treatments that don't align with your values or preferences.

HEALTHCARE RISK

The 5 Core Estate Planning Documents

A complete estate plan includes all five. Missing even one creates gaps that courts, state law, or family disputes will fill — not you. We guide you through every document and ensure they work together as a unified plan.

Your will is the foundation of your estate plan. It dictates exactly how your assets, property, and possessions are distributed after your death — and allows you to name guardians for minor children. Without a will, state law decides your heirs.

WHAT A WILL COVERS

  • Distribution of all property, money, and possessions not held in a trust
  • Naming a guardian for minor children — one of the most critical decisions a parent can make
  • Naming an executor — the person responsible for carrying out your wishes
  • Specific bequests — leaving particular items or amounts to specific people or charities
  • Instructions for funeral and burial preferences

WHAT HAPPENS WITHOUT ONE

  • State intestacy law determines who inherits — often not who you would have chosen
  • Courts appoint a guardian for your children — potentially someone you would not have selected
  • Assets go through probate — a public, time-consuming, court-supervised process
  • Unmarried partners, stepchildren, and close friends receive nothing under most state laws
  • Family disputes become far more likely without clear written instructions

Who needs a will: Every adult — regardless of age or wealth. If you're 18+ and have any assets, relationships, or wishes about your belongings, you need a will. It takes far less time to prepare than most people expect.

A revocable living trust holds your assets during your lifetime and distributes them after death — without going through probate. You remain in full control as the trustee while alive, and name a successor trustee to take over when needed.

KEY ADVANTAGES

  • Avoids probate entirely — assets transfer directly to beneficiaries without court involvement
  • Maintains privacy — unlike a will, a trust is not a public document
  • Speeds up asset transfer — days or weeks instead of months or years
  • Reduces legal costs — no probate attorney fees for assets held in trust
  • Flexible during your lifetime — you can amend or revoke it at any time

HOW IT WORKS

  • You create the trust and transfer your assets into it (your home, accounts, investments)
  • You serve as trustee — full control, no change in how you manage your assets day-to-day
  • You name a successor trustee who steps in if you become incapacitated or pass away
  • At death, the successor trustee distributes assets per your instructions — no court required
  • Works alongside your will to cover any assets not transferred into the trust

Trust vs. Will: A will goes through probate — a trust does not. For families with a home, investment accounts, or significant assets, a trust typically saves far more in time and legal fees than it costs to set up.

A Financial Power of Attorney appoints a trusted person to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated — paying bills, managing investments, filing taxes, and handling accounts. Without one, a court must appoint a guardian, which takes time and costs money.

WHAT IT COVERS

  • Bank account access and bill payment while you're incapacitated
  • Management of investments, real estate, and business interests
  • Tax filing on your behalf
  • Making financial decisions that protect your assets during your incapacity

TYPES OF FINANCIAL POA

  • Durable POA: Remains effective if you become incapacitated — the most common and important type
  • Springing POA: Only activates when a specific condition is met (usually incapacity confirmed by a physician)
  • Limited POA: Restricted to specific transactions (e.g., selling a specific property)

Without a Financial POA: If you become incapacitated without one, your family must petition the court for conservatorship — an expensive, time-consuming process that could freeze your finances for months while the petition is processed.

These two documents work together: the Healthcare Directive records your medical wishes in writing, and the Medical Power of Attorney appoints a trusted person to act on them if you cannot communicate. Together, they ensure your healthcare is handled exactly as you’d want.

ADVANCE HEALTHCARE DIRECTIVE (LIVING WILL)

  • Documents your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatment, resuscitation, and end-of-life care
  • Specifies preferences for pain management, organ donation, and ventilator use
  • Gives medical providers clear legal guidance — reducing family stress and disputes
  • Effective whenever you are unable to communicate — not just at end of life

MEDICAL POWER OF ATTORNEY (HEALTHCARE PROXY)

  • Appoints a trusted person (your "agent") to make medical decisions on your behalf
  • Your agent can respond to real-time medical situations the directive may not anticipate
  • Works in concert with the directive — the directive guides what, the agent decides how
  • Can be any trusted adult — does not need to be a family member

Without these documents: Hospitals default to aggressive, life-sustaining treatment regardless of your preferences. Family members may disagree on what you would have wanted — leading to conflict and court involvement at the worst possible time.

Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts, life insurance, and bank accounts pass assets directly to named individuals — outside of probate and outside of your will. This makes them extremely powerful — and extremely dangerous if outdated or incorrect.

ACCOUNTS REQUIRING BENEFICIARY REVIEW

  • 401(k), 403(b), 457, IRA, Roth IRA — all retirement accounts
  • Life insurance policies of all types
  • Annuity contracts
  • Bank accounts with "Payable on Death" (POD) designation
  • Investment accounts with "Transfer on Death" (TOD) designation

WHY THIS IS THE MOST OVERLOOKED ISSUE

  • Overrides your will: A beneficiary designation always wins over what your will says — even if the will is newer
  • Ex-spouses: Many people unknowingly have an ex-spouse listed — the account goes to them, not your current spouse or children
  • Deceased beneficiaries: If your named beneficiary has died and you haven't updated it, assets may go to probate
  • Must be updated after: Marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a beneficiary

The most common estate planning mistake we see: A will that says one thing and beneficiary designations that say something completely different. We audit all your accounts as part of our planning process — ensuring every piece of your plan is aligned and consistent.

* Estate planning services vary by individual situation, asset type, and state law. All content for illustrative purposes only. Not legal advice — we recommend consulting with an estate planning attorney for complex situations.

Frequently Asked Questions

No — this is one of the most common and costly misconceptions. If you're 18 or older, have any assets, have a partner or children, or simply have preferences about your healthcare and belongings, you need an estate plan. A young adult with a modest bank account and a healthcare directive is far better protected than a wealthy person with no documents. Estate planning is about control and protection, not just wealth.
Probate is the court-supervised process of validating your will and transferring assets to heirs. It's public, so anyone can see what you owned and who received it. It's time-consuming — typically 6 to 18 months or longer. And it's expensive — attorney fees, court costs, and executor fees can consume 3–7% of your estate's value. A properly structured trust avoids probate entirely, keeping your affairs private and your assets moving quickly to the right people.
A will takes effect at death and must go through probate court before assets are distributed. A revocable living trust takes effect immediately — you manage your assets inside the trust while alive, and at death your successor trustee distributes them directly to beneficiaries without court involvement. Most established families benefit from having both: a trust for major assets (home, accounts) and a "pour-over will" to catch anything not transferred into the trust.
Review your estate plan after any major life event: marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, death of a beneficiary or named executor, significant change in assets, moving to a new state, or major changes in tax law. As a general rule, a full review every 3–5 years is recommended even without life changes. Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance should be reviewed annually — they are the most frequently outdated element of any estate plan.
For a straightforward plan — will, healthcare directive, financial POA, and beneficiary review — the process typically takes 1–3 weeks from your initial consultation to signed documents. A more comprehensive plan including trusts may take 3–6 weeks. The most important step is simply starting. Most people delay estate planning far longer than the process actually takes — and the cost of that delay falls entirely on the family members left behind.

Protect your family before they need it most.

A complete estate plan takes weeks. The consequences of not having one can last for years. Schedule your private consultation today.

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