The future is uncertain. Your wishes don’t have to be.

Your estate plan includes powers of attorney, advance health care directives, and HIPAA authorizations. These documents identify who you choose to act for you and record the decisions you have made for yourself.

You select a person you trust to serve as your Trustee, responsible for managing the assets within your Trust and carrying out your instructions according to your estate plan. You will also designate a Successor Trustee who can step in if your original Trustee becomes unable or unwilling to fulfill those responsibilities. Choosing the right people helps protect your assets, honor your wishes, and ensure your beneficiaries receive what you have planned for them.

Your estate plan identifies the person or people you would want to provide day-to-day care and how financial support should continue. Care arrangements and financial planning are related, but distinct.

List the people you want to benefit in your estate plan and review how your assets are titled. A properly funded Trust can direct the transfer of assets it holds without probate.

An estate plan outlines your wishes for financial decisions, health care, and the distribution of your property and possessions.

Choose a trusted caregiver, outline your pets’ routines and needs, and consider setting aside resources for their continued care.

Without an estate plan, Georgia law and applicable court procedures may determine who has authority and how certain assets pass to your loved ones.

Outline your preferences within your estate plan, discuss them with the people you trust, and identify how anticipated expenses should be handled.

Outline your organ and tissue donation preferences within your estate plan and share them with the people who may need to act on your behalf.

List the organizations you wish to support, what you want to give, and how the gift should be distributed.

Make an inventory of important accounts, subscriptions, stored files, and digital property. Plan for lawful access and follow each provider’s account and legacy-contact rules. Include these instructions within your estate plan.

Outline in your estate plan whom you want to operate, sell, or wind down your business, and how ownership, records, clients, and financial obligations should be handled.

Identify what you own and make a secure plan for authorized access to wallets, records, and keys within your estate plan. Sensitive passwords and private keys can be kept in a sealed envelope secured with your plan, rather than included in publicly accessible documents.

An unfinished or unfunded Trust may not accomplish the intended transfers. The outcome depends on what documents were completed and how assets were owned at the time of death. Ask us for specific details.

Your estate plan is personal, and you may choose to keep certain details private. However, if you share ownership of property, financial accounts, or other assets with your spouse or partner, it is important to understand how your estate plan may affect their rights and interests. Certain transactions may require their knowledge or consent. Open communication can help prevent confusion, disputes, and unintended consequences.

Your business should have clear documents outlining what happens in the event of your death, incapacity, retirement, or dissolution of the business. These arrangements should address ownership, management responsibilities, succession, and the interests of your business partners. Your personal estate plan and business agreements should work together to protect the business and everyone involved.