Estate Planning
Don’t put off your estate planning any longer. No matter your age or life circumstances, it’s time to ensure your loved ones are taken care of.
Convenient and Stress-Free Estate Planning
“Estate planning” is one of those terms that provokes a vague sense of anxiety in those who run across it. You know it’s something you need to do. But you don’t know how to start.
What will it cost? How long will it take? What all should I consider? Who can help me get it done?
We’re here to answer your questions and meet your unique needs. Before you know it, you’ll have estate planning checked off your to-do list.
“I recently worked with Michelle at Hope Wood JD to get my Will and Powers of Attorney completed, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience. She accomplished everything I needed in a single meeting, and the cost was very reasonable. Michelle was professional, thorough, and made what can be an overwhelming process feel straightforward and manageable. I left with complete peace of mind knowing my affairs are in order. Highly recommend her to anyone who’s been putting off estate planning!”
“I recently worked with Michelle at Hope Wood JD to get my Will and Powers of Attorney completed, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience. I left with complete peace of mind knowing my affairs are in order.”
-Joe S.
Will in a Day®
Safeguard your loved ones.
Get will and power of attorney documents finalized and signed in approximately 2 hours with Will in a Day®. A comprehensive estate-planning package available for a flat fee that includes:
A last will and testament
Power of attorney document
Living Will
A testamentary trust for those with minor children
Now is the time.
Do you worry about what your loved ones will do if something happens to you? If so, Will in a Day® is for you. In less than two hours, you will have the documents you need to accomplish your goals. You are the only person who has to sign documents for your individual estate planning, so it is as simple as booking an appointment.
Take steps now to ease the burden and costs of your estate for your family. Your estate plan is for those that survive you. Let your legacy be one of memories of your life, not of fights after your death about money and property.
When you leave the Will in a Day® meeting, you can feel confident that you’ve done everything you can to take care of your family. You didn’t just create a will, you gained lifelong peace of mind.
Revocable Trusts
Trust in your family’s future.
Here’s the headline: A revocable trust protects assets from probate and privately transfers inheritance without headaches.
Creating a revocable trust — also called a living trust — is like creating a business that is separate from you as an individual. A revocable trust is not a person, just like an LLC. That’s why the assets of the trust, even real estate, are not required to go through the court-supervised probate process to transfer to beneficiaries.
This can save your family thousands of dollars and months of effort.
Rest easy knowing that your loved ones won’t face extra hardship after you’re gone.
Our Revocable Trust Package is the ultimate gift to your loved ones. It is the best way for your estate to stay out of probate. It also provides a stress-free transfer of assets to your beneficiaries.
Revocable Trust
Last Will and Testament
Quit Claim Deed to fund the Trust
Power of attorney documents
Living Will
Power of Attorney
Empower a loved one to take charge.
No matter how lucky you are in life, at some point you will likely need a trusted friend or family member to make health care decisions for you and manage your assets.
Naming a legal power of attorney allows you to rest easy, knowing that a reliable person is aware of your wishes and can act on your behalf in case of an emergency.
Power of attorney documents are provided in our Will in a Day® package.
Ensure your wishes are honored.
A power of attorney is a legal document that appoints another person to act as your agent in a specific situation, like when you become incapacitated. The power of attorney document lists the authorities granted to the agent (health care, financial, etc.) and the specific conditions that trigger the agent to act.
As an estate-planning attorney, I recommend that all adults prepare a power of attorney document to plan for the unexpected. By appointing a trusted individual as your agent, you can ensure that your health care and financial wishes will be carried out.
Living Wills
Make your wishes known.
Adults at any stage of life should prepare a living will for themselves and urge their spouse and family members to do the same.
You don’t want your loved ones facing confusion and uncertainty about your end-of-life wishes as they deal with a difficult and emotional decision.
A Living Will is provided in our Will in a Day® package.
Prepare for the unexpected.
A living will is a statement, formally called a “declaration,” that life-sustaining procedures be withheld or withdrawn in the event you face a terminal condition or severe illness. Through a living will, you can direct your attending physician to not use—or stop using—life-sustaining measures if you are unable to participate in the decision.
A living will ensures that your family members can carry out your wishes with confidence and provides peace of mind to everyone involved. Although we all hope we’ll never face a terminal medical condition, a living will is necessary in an unpredictable world. Preparing for the unexpected can help you live your best life.
Common questions about estate planning
-
A living will is a document that directs the use of life-sustaining procedures during your lifetime. Through a living will, you can direct your attending physician not to use—or to stop using—life-sustaining measures if you are unable to participate in the decision.
In contrast, a last will and testament is used after your death, and it only relates to the financial assets you own at death.
In short, a living will applies to your physical person, and a last will and testament applies to your personal property and real estate.
-
Yes! A will may be even more important if you’re unmarried. If all of your assets are titled or owned in your name and you do not have a will, they will transfer under Iowa intestate laws. If you don’t want your assets transferring to heirs as determined by Iowa law, then you will need a will and asset transfer plan.
A will allows you to gift belongings to other family members or friends. Or you may want to leave a charitable gift to your favorite nonprofit organization. A will and asset transfer plan alleviates the burden on your surviving friends and family because it describes your wishes for your personal belongings and assets.
-
An irrevocable trust is a trust, which, by its terms, cannot be modified, amended, or revoked. For tax purposes an irrevocable trust can be treated as a simple, complex, or grantor trust, depending on the powers listed in the trust instrument. A revocable trust may be revoked and is considered a grantor trust (IRC § 676). State law and the trust instrument establish whether a trust is revocable or irrevocable. If the trust instrument is silent on revocability, then most states consider the trust revocable.
Source: Internal Revenue Service
-
There is no legal requirement to use a lawyer to draft a will. However, there are many several critical reasons to hire a lawyer to create your will. An experienced attorney who prepares a will and provides asset-transfer planning (i.e., estate planning) is the best investment for your loved ones.
The importance of using an experienced attorney to prepare a will cannot be overstated. A will is only part of the process to ensure that your assets transfer to your heirs without headaches. An experienced attorney like Hope Wood, JD, not only prepares a will but also provides asset-transfer planning and power of attorney documents for financial and health care decisions.
-
If you haven’t done so already, now is the best time to get your power of attorney document made because you never know what will happen in the future. If you prepare your document before you face incapacity issues, you will have peace of mind knowing that your wishes will be carried out and that your family won’t have to face difficult decisions without your pre-determined instructions. Additionally, if a condition of incapacity is long-term, a person may need to get court permission through a guardianship or conservatorship to make decisions for you. This is an expensive and time consuming process.
-
You want to name a guardian, along with an alternate guardian, who is someone you trust to stand in your shoes as a parent. It’s best if the guardian lives close to where you live, but it is not required. You can appoint someone who lives in a different state, but, in that case, your child(ren) may need to move. The guardian is not required to move to where the children live.
If you are unsure of who to appoint as a guardian, ask yourself who would file a petition with the court to be appointed as the child’s guardian. Do you want that person to be appointed? Would you prefer someone else? Would there be competing petitions, like maternal and paternal grandparents competing for the appointment?
If you do not appoint a guardian in your will, you are placing your child(ren) in an emotionally difficult situation. Remember that you can always amend your will in the future to change the guardian. Don’t let uncertainty about who to appoint prevent you from completing your will. Name the most appropriate person at this stage in your life with the understanding that you can change your will at a later date.
Check out these free resources on our blog.
Get help from the experts.
Have a question about estate planning, power of attorney, or probate? Reach out today and let us know how we can help you. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.