Des Moines Estate Planning Lawyer | Protecting Your Assets & Your Family
Here at Herting Law, we understand that planning is about more than property. To start, your estate plan should outline exactly how you wish to protect and care for your children. If you have any particular wishes for our burial or cremation, or for your funeral, we can help ensure that those wishes are honored. We can also help you make financial and medical decisions for yourself now, in the event that you cannot make them for yourself in the future.
While estate planning isn’t a comfortable topic to consider, the effort you put forth to brave those uncomfortable conversations will make your family have fewer obstacles to jump when they are coping with your loss. Our attorneys are patient, compassionate, and respectful of you and your family. Our job is to help make these difficult conversations slightly easier. We can begin the process of protecting your family’s future today.
Our Legal Services
Our firm handles a wide array of estate planning matters, some of which are as follows:
- Estate Trust Administration: When someone creates a trust, they are creating a contract between themselves and the agent they appoint. The agent is responsible for distributing the assets placed in the trust upon the trustor’s passing. Doing so can be a very complex process, and if you’ve been put in charge of administering a trust, you should strongly consider retaining competent legal assistance.
- Power of Attorney: Everyone should establish one or more powers of attorney at some point during their life. The two most common types of powers of attorney are healthcare powers of attorney and financial powers of attorney. When you give someone power of attorney, it essentially means that you are officially appointing them to make certain critical life decisions on your behalf, should you ever be unable to make those decisions on your own. It is critical that you choose wisely and ensure you draft your power of attorney properly. Our firm can help.
- Special Needs Planning: Any parent’s number one concern is the well-being of their child. If you have a child with special needs, your top priority is protecting your child and ensuring that he or she has the means to go on and live a happy, productive, and safe life. While you do everything you can while you’re here, there may come a day where you cannot care for your child in person anymore. This is why it is so important that you speak with our firm to learn more about special needs planning. Special needs trusts can be a fantastic way to ensure that your assets will be responsibly managed on behalf of your child while also ensuring that your child continues to receive Medicaid or SSI assistance. Please note that we offer discounted rates for parents of children with special needs who will need to be cared for after their passing.
- Trusts: Trusts are among the best ways to preserve your assets. There are a variety of reasons why an individual would create a trust, and there are also several types of trusts available. One of the biggest benefits of creating certain trusts is that they can oftentimes help your family save on taxes and other expenses when it comes to the probate process after your passing. To learn more about what type of trust is best for you, speak with an experienced Des Moines estate planning lawyer today.
- Wills: A last will and testament is perhaps the most common estate planning document, and for good reason. You can outline what you want to happen with your assets, who you want to distribute your assets, appoint guardians for any minor children you may have, and more. It is never too soon to draft your will. If you’re ready to get started, feel free to give us a call today. We will happily walk you through every step of the process ahead.
Contact a Des Moines Estate Planning Lawyer
Estate planning is the final step in protecting all the efforts you have made throughout your life. Do not put any estate-related matters to chance by hiring just any lawyer; hire a lawyer who cares about you, your family, and your future. Contact Herting Law, PLLC today so we can hear your goals and make them a reality.
