Who will take care of your personal finances when you're gone or incapacitated?

Where will your property go if something happens?

What will happen to your children if you are gone?

Will your estate be diminished by estate taxes?

When tragedy strikes, will you be prepared?

Handle Your Future with Care

Questions like those above raise concerns that many people don’t consider until it’s too late. Don’t be caught unprepared. Anyone who has an interest in what will happen to their children or their property, or who wants to eliminate estate taxes after they are gone needs to give thoughtful consideration to estate planning.

The Astill law firm estate planning attorneys provide more than 25 years of large, Salt Lake City downtown law firm experience to help you navigate through these issues with ease and peace of mind.

The Astill law firm meets your legal needs by focusing its practice in the following areas:

Property Distribution

The purpose of estate planning is to ensure that your assets are distributed to the persons you choose, and to manage your personal finances if you are incapacitated. Only a Will or Living Trust can help you control the use of your assets. Otherwise the probate court makes legal decisions for you.

Guardians and Trusts for Children

When the parents of minor children die without a Will, the probate court determines who their guardian will be and would give the children their inheritance, including life insurance, at age 18. Only a Will and Trust can avoid this result and preserve your hard-earned assets for their benefit.

Taxes

The reduction or elimination of federal estate tax and inheritance tax is an essential part of any sound estate plan. Our Utah estate planning attorneys help you minimize your taxes now and reduce or eliminate estate tax consequences your heirs face in the future. Some of these strategies include using asset protection techniques, irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILIT), limited liability companies (LLC), dynasty trusts, charitable remainder trusts (CRUT), and charitable foundations.

Health Care Decisions

In addition to planning your affairs after your death, estate planning should also provide you with options should you become incapacitated or otherwise unable to make health care decisions. A living will or health care proxy allows you to make decisions in advance if you are stricken with a terminal disease or injury. A health care proxy, or advanced health care directive, granted by you can permit a trusted relative or friend to make healthcare decisions for you and to get medical information about you. Living wills, durable powers of attorney and health care proxies are just some of the important legal considerations we discuss with our estate planning clients.

Trusts

Trusts can provide protection and direction for the benefit of you and your family. Living Trusts can assist in the management of your estate and provide for your needs if you become incapacitated. A living trust allows you to remain in control until you die and makes it possible to avoid probate court.

Life Insurance and Retirement Benefits

Life insurance and retirement benefits often constitute the largest portion of a client’s estate. Failing to properly include beneficiary designations and/or trusts to manage these assets can be detrimental to your heirs. We often recommend life insurance trusts and designate living trusts as beneficiaries to help protect heirs from creditors and lack of experience.

Protecting your future is our goal. Our commitment to you is to provide the expertise you need with prompt, reliable, and competent estate planning attorneys. We serve the Salt Lake City, Sandy and South Valley areas and the entire Utah estate planning community.

“Planning without action is futile, action without planning is fatal.”

-- Unknown