Safeguard Your Legacy With Wills And Trusts
For over 45 years, our attorneys at Buechner Haffer Meyers & Koenig Co., LPA, have designed estate planning tools to help our clients secure peace of mind. We use our legal acumen to tailor documents that promote your wishes, protect your assets and minimize legal headaches for your beneficiaries.
Designing Estate Instruments According To Your Concerns And Needs
Whether you need assistance with a simple will or a trust matter, our lawyers are qualified to counsel you and represent your interests. We regularly advise families in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Florida on estate planning matters related to:
Wills
A last will and testament is an essential part of any estate plan. It is a written document, executed according to applicable state law, which specifies, upon your death, who will manage your affairs, who will receive your estate and who will care for your minor children (if any). It may also provide additional instructions pertaining to your affairs.
Advance Directives
If you are unable to make your own health care decisions, a health care power of attorney (HCPOA), a designation of personal representative, and a living will can ease the emotional burdens faced by you and your loved ones.
The HCPOA provides your designated decision-maker the authority to make medical treatment decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. The designation of personal representative authorizes your personal representative to obtain your medical records.
A living will only takes effect in end-of-life situations. A living will is an advance directive that states your decisions regarding the extent and effort of medical treatment to prolong your life, if you are unable to communicate such intentions. The living will can ease the distress of your loved ones at that most emotional time.
Trusts
For many individuals and families, a trust is a necessary complement to a last will and testament. A trust can minimize the time, expense and publicity of probate. It is the best method to provide for children, beneficiaries with special needs (special needs trusts), and to protect young and impressionable beneficiaries from financial predators. A trust is a near necessity when real estate is owned in more than one state. In addition, a properly funded trust can help to minimize estate taxes.
We help families with trust administration. Ohio law requires that trustees fulfill duties to keep trust beneficiaries informed about important matters. The trustee’s duties can last for years, even generations. It is important for the trustee to have solid, ongoing advice. We are here to provide it.
Sometimes trust beneficiaries are poorly treated by trustees. We regularly help trust beneficiaries by assuring that they are being treated fairly by the trustee and by assuring that they receive the information to which they are entitled.
Trusts sometimes grow old and no longer meet the purpose for which they were originally established. We regularly help trustees and beneficiaries work together to assure that changing situations are appropriately handled.
Rely On Us To Handle Your Concerns With Skill. Connect With Us Today.
For your convenience, you can reach our Cincinnati firm online or over the phone at 513-579-1500. We are licensed to represent clients in Ohio, Florida, Kentucky and Indiana.
