Estate Planning & Probate Avoidance by Your Estate Attorneys, Lawyers delivering peace of mind to clients through education and preparation from a Christian perspective
SERVICES OFFERED BY THE LAW OFFICE OF DAVID C. BRUNELL
By narrowing the scope of services offered, we can be very proficient in specific areas of practice. With constant changes in the law, especially in the tax and estate planning areas, it is very difficult for attorneys to be proficient in numerous areas of law. We limit our practice mainly to estate planning and residential real estate. We analyze individual needs and goals and outline, design, and implement plans which meet goals in the most beneficial and cost-effective way with the least possible paperwork and bureaucracy.
Following is a brief description of the services we offer. For additional information on these areas, call us at (734) 466-9277. Following a complimentary 30-minute consultation, we quote guaranteed package prices so you know total investment prior to authorizing work. In some situations where work to be done varies depending on circumstances or when information is not ascertainable up front, a minimum retainer will be charged with additional fees due if time requirements for completing the work exceed amounts covered by the initial retainer.
OUR SERVICES
Peace of mind life plan
Protecting families and transferring wealth from a values-based perspective transcends traditional estate planning. Each life plan includes trusts, pour-over will(s), durable power(s) of attorney for financial matters, medical power(s) of attorney, patient advocate designations, health care directives, HIPAA compliance and various other documents necessary to complete the total estate plan. Letters of instruction are included to help in re-titling assets to the trust, and a complete Estate Organizer binder containing all documents, personal information, and instructions to the successor trustee provides information, which family members need if a disability or death occurs in the family.
Estate tax avoidance estate planning
Estates over the Federal Estate tax exemption amount (currently two million dollars), requires special planning and drafting of several trust products necessary to avoid the 45% tax. Complex funding is billed hourly.
Business succession planning
Family Cottage succession planning
Charitable gifting consultation
Simple Will without federal estate tax planning and no special Wills and supporting documents
Estate plans include analysis of ownership of assets and beneficiary designations as well as application of tax law.
Powers of Attorney
Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care
This document authorizes others to make medical decisions, to make life support decisions, and to sign nursing home admission papers if you were unable to do so. Unless the document is signed, if you were unable to sign admission papers, if nursing home care was needed, guardianship court proceedings would be required in order to be admitted to a nursing home. Complete package includes patient advocate designation; HIPAAA Compliance; designation acceptance forms; medical certification forms; Life sustaining preferences; advanced directives; medical history; anatomical gift forms and reaffirmation.
- Second Power of Attorney for Health Care for spouse
Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Matters
This document authorizes others to act on your behalf, to sign financial documents for you. The power of attorney may be drafted to be effective immediately, or it may be drafted to be effective only if incapacity is proven. This document may authorize gifts to be made on your behalf or may be very restrictive, authorizing only specific actions. Includes agent notice and acceptance forms and financial organization forms.
- Second Power of Attorney for spouse
Legal Security Blanket
Pursuant to Federal HIPAA law, at age 18 parents lose their rights to legally act on their child’s behalf in emergency medical situations. This package allows the parents to continue legal participation on their child’s behalf in all emergency medical and health care decision making. Package can also include access to College grades. DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO LEAVE FOR COLLEGE WITHOUT A LEGAL SECURITY BLANKET!
Probate Estate Administration
When a person passes away and owns assets in his or her sole name with no beneficiary designation, in most cases probate will be required in order to ‘unfreeze’ assets. Estate planning during lifetime may be utilized to avoid probate, but after death, if assets are titled in decedent’s sole name, probate is not optional. We strive to streamline the probate process as much as possible.
Trust Administration
Services are available to help with paperwork when spouses used a joint revocable trust and one spouse passes away. It is wise at this time to review federal estate tax issues, to verify that all assets are in the trust, to review and update documents as needed, and to determine value of assets. Establishing date of death values is necessary to assess any possible federal estate tax issues and to confirm the new tax basis of assets. This allows the surviving spouse to sell inherited appreciated assets for date of death value and pay NO CAPITAL GAINS TAX. Future gain will only be taxable for the amount of gain since date of death.
Trust Termination
services are available to help with the paperwork required to terminate a trust after death. If all assets are in the trust, no probate will be required. However, it is still necessary to create a list of assets and values, file required tax returns, pay debts and expenses, account for assets, and distribute assets as designated in the plan of distribution.