Estate Planning

Estate planning is the process of managing and liquidating an estate in a manner consistent with the wishes and intentions of the estate owner. The goals of estate planning include making sure the greatest amount of the estate passes to the estate owner's intended beneficiaries, often including paying the least amount of taxes and avoiding or minimizing probate court involvement.  For older adults, an important consideration is also planning for incapacity.

The tools involved in estate planning include the will, trusts, beneficiary designations, powers of appointment, property ownership and other advance directives.