Step One
New-Client Intake
These are the materials you will need to get started, if you are preparing for an initial appointment with our office. We will need the completed and signed intake form, signed Dual Representation form (if you are a member of a couple), and copies of any existing estate planning documents (Wills, Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Proxies, etc.), as well as deeds to any out-of-state real estate.
1. Intake Form for New Clients
2. Dual Representation Form for Married Clients
3. Dual Representation Form for Unmarried Clients
We encourage you to read these documents prior to the consultation, to maximize the productiveness of our meeting:
4. Estate Planning Summary (no minor children)
5. Estate Planning Summary (minor children)
6. Health-Related Documents Explained
7. Thoughtful Estate Planning
8. Standard Will v. Avoid-Probate Trust Comparison
9. Benefits of Using a Trust as Beneficiary of Assets
10. Massachusetts Estate Tax Chart (for estates exceeding $1 million)
11. Credit Shelter Trusts (used to reduce or eliminate MA estate taxes for married couples with estates exceeding $1 million)
12. Supplemental Needs Trust Wills, Plus Avoid Probate Trusts (for married couples concerned about the potential of future long-term care needs)
13. Preserving Transferred Assets (for married couples where one spouse is already experiencing medical issues that are requiring – or may require, in the future – assistance at home or in a skilled-nursing facility)
Step Two
The Process
These materials should help you understand how our office estate planning process works (the various steps and estimated timeline), and how to most effectively communicate with us.
1. Next Steps (what happens after the initial consultation)
2. Helpful Information for Communicating With our Office
Step Three
Creating Your Customized Estate Plan
In order to draft your customized estate planning documents, we need a fully-completed Nominations form, which guides you through the various decisions you need to make. We provide the appropriate form at the end of the initial consultation, along with fee information, but these are offered in the event that you need a clean copy. It may also be beneficial to review these prior to your appointment, to better understand the issues which will be addressed.
1. Problems with Co-Personal Representatives (why we draft our documents with only one Personal Representative/Trustee serving at a time)
2. Avoid Probate Trust with Pourover Will (for an unmarried individual wanting to avoid the Probate Court process)
3. Joint and Credit Shelter Avoid-Probate Trusts with Supplemental Needs Trust Wills (for married couples wishing to increase chances that assets are protected, in the event that one spouse requires in-home or skilled-nursing care)
4. Joint and Credit Shelter Avoid-Probate Trusts with Standard Wills (for married couples where so-called Medicaid planning is not a viable option)
5. Single Avoid-Probate Trust with Supplemental Needs Trust Wills (for married couples where one spouse already has health issues, so assets will be transferred to the healthy spouse, but both spouses competent to sign documents)
6. Single Avoid-Probate Trust with Supplemental Needs Trust Will (for married couples where one spouse unable to sign, due to health issues, so assets will be transferred to the healthy spouse)
7. Standard Wills, Durable Powers of Attorney, and Health Care documents (for married couples not executing Trusts)
8. Standard Will, Durable Power of Attorney, and Health Care documents (for married spouse, not executing Trusts, where only one spouse competent to sign documents)
9. Standard Will, Durable Power of Attorney, and Health Care documents (for unmarried individual)
10. Wills with Supplemental Needs, Trust, Durable Powers of Attorney, and Health Care documents (for married couples with current or anticipated health concerns, not executing Trusts)
11. Grandchildren’s sub-trust (extra page, if more than one sub-trust needed)
12. Guardianship provisions (extra page, for clients with minor children)
13. Supplemental Needs Trust (extra page, for clients who have more than one actual or potential beneficiary needing share held in trust and not distributed directly)
14. Durable Power of Attorney and Health Care documents (unmarried individual not executing a Will or Trust)
15. Durable Powers of Attorney and Health Care documents (married couple not executing Wills or Trusts)