Wills and trusts, and who decides when you can't
Are you prepared for the unexpected? It's a hard question to sit with, and most of us put it off. Estate planning is the work of answering it before you have to: who will handle your medical decisions if you were unable to, who would care for your children, and how your things would be distributed to your loved ones. Wills and trusts are the tools most people have heard of, and there are many options beyond those.
Apple Street Law Office P.L.C. can provide you with the best estate plan for your needs, and the word needs matters. A plan for a young family with children at home doesn't look like a plan for a farm couple, or for someone living alone. The attorney will ask about your household first, then explain which tools might fit and how each one would apply to you.
Although we don't like to think about this topic, it is important to plan so that your final wishes are honored. Free consultations are available, so the first conversation is simply a chance to ask what's possible and hear it in plain English. Bring any documents you already have, such as an old will, and the attorney can tell you how they fit with what you want now.
Guardianship of children and healthcare decisions
If you have children, one question usually outranks the rest: who would care for them? Naming that person is part of a plan, and so is deciding who speaks for you about your healthcare if you can't speak for yourself. These aren't paperwork formalities. They're the two decisions your family would otherwise have to guess at in the middle of a crisis.
Your final wishes cover your healthcare as well as your property, and the attorney can talk through both in the same meeting. The goal is that you leave knowing what was decided, who has been named, and what your family would need to find if the day ever came. The attorney will tell you how Michigan law applies to the choices you're making.
Nothing here has to be settled in a single sitting. Bring the questions that keep surfacing at night, and the office will take them one at a time. Evening and weekend appointments are available by appointment only, for people whose days don't leave room for a visit, and the main line is (269) 945-3512 whenever you're ready to start.
Nursing home care, applying for Medicaid and avoiding probate
There are many options in estate planning, including preparing for future nursing home care or applying for Medicaid. These are topics that are easier to talk through before they're urgent than after. Michael J. McPhillips, whose listed expertise includes elder law and estate planning, is one of the attorneys at the office who can sit down with you and your family about them.
Whether you want to avoid probate or simply make it easy for your family after your passing, the plan can be built around that goal. Probate is the court process that follows a death, and when a plan is thin it's the family who sits through it. If a loved one has already died, the office also helps families through probate itself.
Discounted rates are available for veterans and seniors who can show proof, which is worth asking about when you call. The attorney will tell you what applies to your situation, and what the plan would involve, before you decide to go forward. Nothing is expected of you on the first call except the questions you already have.
