Do
you need to speak to an attorney about an Estate
Planning
matter? Contact Deirdre
R. Wheatley-Liss via e-mail
or
by calling 973-538-4700 x198.
Announcement -
You and Yours Blawg.
A weblog commentary on Business Law, Estate and Elder
Law by members of the Firm.
While
nobody can plan for the unknown future, one of the most important gifts a person
can give their loved ones is protection from the realities of the future, which
may include death, divorce, lawsuits and disability. We provide individual
solutions for estates large and small. Our attorneys are knowledgeable tax
specialists with the skills and understanding to offer appropriate and creative
solutions to a range of clients, whether a young couple with a modest estate and
small children, or a retired entrepreneur with successful business enterprises
and grandchildren to enjoy.
Simply stated, we draw from our experience to allow our
clients to give their assets to who they want, how they want, while minimizing
the costs of taxes and administration.
Because of our years of practice developing estate plans, we
are able to help our clients articulate their desires and concerns, and develop
strategies to meet your goals. Through our knowledge, we are able to
recommend the most appropriate and cutting edge techniques to accomplish those
goals. With our skills, we are able to create detailed documents that give
life to a planning idea. Once a plan has been put into place, our clients
are able to rely on methodologies we have developed to be sure that the plan
is perpetuated from year to year, and our cutting-edge practice to alert them to
how changes in the law might effect their existing plans.
Because of our cross-specialization in tax and business
planning, we are particularly well suited to effectively assist clients taxable
estates of all sizes. Two of our attorneys hold a Masters of Law degree in
taxation, while two are former auditors with the Estate and Gift Tax Division of
the IRS. We confidently tackle the most challenging issues such as
planning for closely held businesses, large retirement plans, non-citizens and
second marriages to provide our clients with successful methods of maximizing
what their heirs receive.
For many of our clients, not matter what size their estate,
how their heirs receive assets is just as important, if not more so, then how
much they receive. Parents with minor children are concerned that if their
children receive money too soon, they will either waste it, be taken advantage
of, or use it as an excuse not to reach their full potential. Parents
with older children are concerned about the loss of family assets through
divorce, taxes and lawsuits, and want to set aside funds for their
grandchildren's education or create a special fund for a disabled family
member. We help our clients address these issues by designing trusts and
using family limited liability companies to meet their unique needs.
There are a myriad of estate planning techniques that might
meet a clients situation. Many are designated by their acronyms, GRATs to
QTIPs, QPRTs to CRTs. Planning techniques that may have been appropriate
in years past may not work as anticipated in the current economy with constantly
changing tax laws. To find out about more about the alphabet soup of
estate planning, and how to plan for an uncertain future, please visit the related articles and links in our Library,
or contact Deirdre R.
Wheatley-Liss,
Shareholder, of our Tax, Trusts and Estates and Elder Law Department to
see how we can meet your personal needs.
