Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Top 5 Mistakes in Estate Planning



1. Not having an Estate Plan in Place and Waiting until the Last Minute

We can’t plan for every little thing that occurs in our lifetime and there is certainly no ‘right’ time to start planning. Thinking you’re too young to make one is no excuse for not having a plan. What are you waiting for? If you wind up in the hospital or become incapacitated, what happens next? With no guidelines and no plan you will be at a dead end. Seek a professional to help draft and review your estate plan. Which shall include a trust, a will, and a healthcare proxy.

2. Not Seeking Professional Help

With today’s technology and wide results easily provided by the Internet, there has been a huge increase in the number of people who take to the Web to prepare their documents. But there are many laws and issues that only a professional can provide accurate help and information with. Experience, knowledge, and skill are something the Web cannot provide. Moreover, only an attorney can notarize a will!    

3. Failing to Update Your Documents

If you start, something be sure to finish it, or at least keep up with it. Having estate planning documents is one thing, making sure they will be correct is another. There are too many changes that can happen over the course of a lifetime to rely on the same documents you started with.  

4. Not Being Aware of Taxes

If you anticipate that your designated beneficiaries will owe large sums to tax, you might want to look into efficient strategies to minimize estate and income taxes. For better insight, seek an experienced estate attorney to best negotiate your plan.

5. Not Focusing on the Basic Components

Don’t beat around the bush. Declare who gets what, what goes where, what happens when. Carefully and clearly draft how you want your assets to be distributed. The more detail, the better. After all, these are your life possessions at hand.

Call or visit the Law Office of Inna Fershteyn today.
(718) 333-2394
1517 Voorhies Avenue Suite 4
Brooklyn, NY 11235


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