Wills, Trusts, And Powers Of Attorney
Planning for the future is important for every family. Regardless of your age, the amount of income you earn, or the extent of the assets you own, you will want to be sure you and your family members will be provided for throughout your lifetime and after your death. By working with a skilled estate planning attorney, you can be prepared for the future and ensure that your and your family’s needs will be met.
The lawyers of Laraia & Whitty, P.C. provide families with dedicated estate planning services, and we can help you understand your options for protecting your assets and ensuring that your wishes are followed both during your lifetime and after you pass on.
Estate Planning Services
By taking steps to create a comprehensive estate plan, you can not only ensure that your last wishes are followed, but you can make sure that you and your loved ones will have the financial resources you need throughout the rest of your life. We can help you create a plan that addresses the assets you own, the care that should be provided for you and your family members, and the division of your estate upon your death.
We can assist with:
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- Wills – Your last will and testament will include instructions for how you want your assets to be distributed to a trust or to your heirs following your death. It can also name a person who you want to serve as the guardian of your minor children if both parents pass away.
- Living trusts – A trust allows you to place assets in the control of a trustee and provide instructions on how these assets should be managed during your life and how they should be distributed to your beneficiaries. With a living trust, you can maintain control of your assets and use them to provide for your and your family’s needs throughout your life, while ensuring that the assets will be properly handled after your death.
- Children’s trusts – These types of trusts may be used to provide for children’s needs, with instructions that a trustee should use the assets in the trust to pay for education, medical care, living expenses, or other necessities.
- Power of attorney – This type of agreement allows you to name a person who is authorized to make decisions on your behalf, ensuring that your wishes will be followed if you ever become incapacitated or unable to make decisions for yourself. A power of attorney for healthcare will allow your agent to address your medical needs, and a power of attorney for property will allow your agent to make financial decisions for you.
- Probate and estate litigation – After a person’s death, their will must be filed in probate court, and, in the absence of a trust, the executor of the estate will oversee the distribution of the person’s assets to their beneficiaries. We can assist in completing the probate process, and we can also provide representation in any litigation involving contested estates or trusts.
- Trust administration – After a person’s death, we can assist the family in reviewing his or her estate plans and trusts, recovering assets, managing the trust estate, and making disbursements to beneficiaries in accordance with the deceased person’s wishes.
Understand Your Options
Our attorneys can provide the legal help you need during the estate planning process, ensuring that your wishes will be followed correctly and your family’s needs will be met. We can help you understand your options for protecting your assets and passing them on to your loved ones while making sure you will be able to meet your own needs throughout the rest of your life. Contact our office today at 630-228-9984 for a free consultation. We serve clients throughout the Chicago area, including DuPage County, Cook County, Will County, Kendall County and Kane County.