Salt Lake County Estate Planning Attorney

Helping Clients Plan Ahead

If you don’t have an estate plan that specifies what will happen to your assets when you pass away, your family won’t be as financially secure as you’d like. However, you can fix this by meeting with experienced Salt Lake City estate planning lawyers who will explain every legal tool available to you as you plan for your future.

At Able & Strong Law, Inc., we take pride in ensuring Utah residents are aware of the ways in which they can protect their family members, especially if they have special needs. If you’re ready to meet with a compassionate Salt Lake County estate planning lawyer, call our law firm for an initial consultation.

What Are the Most Popular Estate Planning Tools?

For your family to be as protected as possible, you need a comprehensive estate plan that combines multiple legal documents addressing how to handle your assets, debts, and other important affairs. The following are the most common tools to consider as you find ways to safeguard your financial security:

If you haven’t prepared any of these legal tools or aren’t sure what they are, it’s not too late to learn more about them. When you meet with an estate planning attorney at our law firm, we will gladly go over all your options and recommend the ones that best meet your needs. It’s important to get started on this process as soon as possible so you can get an estate plan in place, so call today.

Do You Need a Will or a Trust?

You don’t need to be familiar with estate plans to know that wills and trusts are among the top tools for securing your family’s future. You’ve likely heard of these options before, but it’s not necessarily clear how they differ or which one would be right for you.

To start, a will is a legal document featuring instructions on which loved ones should get your assets when you pass away. So, if you own a house, vehicle, jewelry, cash, and other assets, your will should list each one and specify who should be the beneficiary. Your will should also appoint a guardian for any minor children you have, as well as an executor who will ensure that your wishes are properly carried out. Wills must go through the probate process before beneficiaries get their inheritance, which can take several months.

A living trust can also be used to specify which beneficiaries get which assets, but this legal tool can skip probate since the law treats the trust as the owner of your items rather than you. This means your beneficiaries will get their property sooner if you put it in a living trust rather than a will. In addition, there are certain types of trusts that offer unique benefits. For instance, an irrevocable trust can reduce your tax liability, saving you and your family money over time. It can also protect your assets from creditors in certain cases. A skilled Salt Lake City attorney will go over these benefits with you to determine if you need a last will, a living trust, or both.

How Can You Protect Your Children Long-Term?

If you have minor children or adult children with disabilities, it’s essential that you make an estate plan to ensure they’re protected even when you’re no longer here. Skilled Salt Lake City attorneys can explain your options, depending on your specific needs.

For instance, if your children are young, you can use your last will to appoint a guardian you trust to care for them if both you and their other parent pass away. If you don’t do this, the court will appoint a guardian, and it could be an estranged family member your children are not comfortable around.

Another way estate planning lawyers can help you protect your children is by putting your property in one or more trusts for them. This way, they won’t have to go through the probate process, and they’re less likely to have to deal with litigation since trusts aren’t contested as often as wills. In addition, you can make trusts for specific purposes, such as to ensure your beneficiaries only get their assets once they graduate from college. If you have a special needs child, you can create a special needs trust that won’t endanger their eligibility for public benefits. Contact our Salt Lake City legal team to learn more about planning for your child’s future through revocable living trusts, wills, and other options.

Are You Ready to Hire a Salt Lake County Estate Planning Lawyer?

At Able & Strong Law, Inc., we know how important your family is to you, which is why you’re worrying about how they will be able to afford a good quality of life when you’re no longer here. Fortunately, you can get guidance from estate planning lawyers who can ensure you understand everything from the estate administration process to the probate process and more.

We have been serving Salt Lake City residents for years, using our estate planning knowledge to safeguard families from legal complications and disputes that could threaten their financial stability. No matter what your specific circumstances are, you might be worried about how to ensure your loved ones can afford their current quality of life after you pass away. We can provide answers to all your estate planning concerns, so we encourage you to contact us to learn what the estate administration process entails, what a trustee is, how long the probate process takes, and more. Call our Utah law office at 385-438-8801 for an initial consultation with a trusted attorney.