In Need of a Skilled Estate Planning Lawyer in Berkley?
If you live in Berkley and want to create an estate plan, or update one you signed years ago, Douglas Kuthy can help you think it through.
Doug is an estate planning attorney who meets with Berkley residents in person, and he builds each plan around your situation: your family, your property, the people you trust to make decisions, and what you want to happen if you cannot act for yourself.
For some clients, the right plan centers on a revocable living trust. For others, a will and powers of attorney are a better fit. Doug explains the options and his flat fee before any work begins, and he meets with clients in person at his West Bloomfield office.
To get started, call 248-432-1612 and schedule an in-person consultation.
Estate Planning in Berkley Is More Than a Will
Many people arrive at a first meeting expecting to sign a will and be done. A will matters, but it covers only part of the picture. A coordinated estate plan may address:
- Who receives your property, and when
- Who can manage your finances if illness or injury leaves you unable to
- Who can make health care decisions for you, and what guidance they should follow
- Who would raise your minor children
- How retirement accounts, life insurance, and other beneficiary designations fit with the rest of the plan
- Whether a trust makes sense for you at all
When a Revocable Living Trust May Be Considered
Doug often discusses a revocable living trust with clients who own a home, have children, or want a trusted person to step in smoothly if they become incapacitated. With this kind of trust, you generally keep control of your assets during your lifetime and name a successor trustee who can manage them if you cannot, then distribute them under the terms you set.
A trust may be worth considering if:
- Privacy about your assets and beneficiaries matters to you
- You want continuity in how your finances are handled during an incapacity
- You own real property, including your Berkley home
- You want children or other beneficiaries to receive assets over time rather than all at once
A trust is not automatically the right choice, and it does not avoid probate on its own. It works as intended only when the right assets are titled in the trust’s name or coordinated through beneficiary designations.
That step, usually called trust funding, is part of the conversation Doug has with every trust client. You can read more about how a revocable living trust works or compare the differences between wills and trusts.
Planning for Where You Are in Life
Your plan should reflect your stage of life, not a template. Two situations deserve particular attention.
Single Homeowners and Professionals
If you are single and have no plan, Michigan’s default rules decide who inherits your property and who may need to ask a court for authority to manage your affairs. Those rules may not match your wishes.
Planning lets you choose a trusted sibling, friend, or adult relative as your financial agent and patient advocate, decide who receives your home and savings, and confirm that account beneficiaries are current. Learn more about estate planning for single people.
Families With Dependent Children
For parents, the hardest question is usually who would raise the children if both parents were gone. A plan can nominate a guardian and, separately, name someone to manage money left for the children’s benefit.
Many parents also decide they do not want a child to receive an inheritance outright at 18, and a trust can set a later age or release funds in stages. See estate planning for families with minor children.
If your children are grown or you are retired, Doug also works with empty nesters and senior citizens on reviewing older plans and choosing new decision-makers.
What a Coordinated Plan May Include
Every plan is different. Depending on your needs, Doug may prepare:
- A revocable living trust, if appropriate
- A will suited to the rest of your plan
- A durable financial power of attorney
- A patient advocate designation for health care decisions
- A HIPAA authorization so the people you choose can access medical information
- Guardian nominations for minor children, where appropriate
- Deed or title planning, if appropriate
- Instructions for funding your trust and coordinating beneficiary designations
Doug’s Estate Planning Process
- An initial in-person meeting at the West Bloomfield office
- A conversation about your family, assets, concerns, and the people you trust
- A recommendation for the plan that fits, with the flat fee explained before work proceeds
- Drafting, followed by time to review the documents and ask questions
- An in-person signing meeting at the office
- Clear instructions for funding your trust and coordinating your accounts
Not sure whether you need a trust, a will, or both? That is exactly what the first meeting is for. [Schedule your in-person consultation] with Doug.
When to Create or Review Your Plan
A plan that fit your life five years ago may not fit it now. Common reasons to create or revisit one include:
- Marriage, divorce, or remarriage
- The birth or adoption of a child
- A child reaching adulthood
- Buying or selling a home
- Retirement
- The death, illness, or incapacity of someone named in your plan
- Moving to Michigan from another state
- A plan that no longer reflects what you want
Meet With Douglas Kuthy in West Bloomfield
If you have been searching for a Berkley estate planning attorney, Doug serves Berkley and other Oakland County communities from his office at 5755 Fox Hunt Lane, West Bloomfield, MI 48322.
He handles your planning conversation, drafting, review, and signing himself, so you work with the same attorney from the first meeting to the last. Learn more about Estate Planning Attorney Douglas Kuthy.
If you live in Berkley and want to create or update an estate plan, schedule an in-person consultation with Douglas Kuthy at his West Bloomfield office. Call 248-432-1612 to get started.
