Our Greater Cleveland Estate Planning Lawyer Helps Northeast Ohio Clients Craft Plans to Provide Peace of Mind
Everyone needs an estate plan. No matter who you are, you’ve worked too hard for too long to let a lack of planning undermine your efforts. A thoughtfully crafted estate plan is a powerful tool for safeguarding your assets and protecting your loved ones, facilitating the smooth transfer of assets to beneficiaries, enabling you to dictate health care preferences, appoint guardians for minor children, and accomplish various other objectives.
At McNamee and Company, long-time lawyer and former CPA Michael McNamee provides highly skilled, tax-savvy guidance for the estate planning process. Whether your financial advisor referred you to us or a recent illness or death in the family made you realize you aren’t prepared, we’ll work with you to create a robust estate plan that cares for your family, minimizes tax burdens, and provides peace of mind.
Inside a Comprehensive Estate Plan
Your estate plan is a collection of legal documents that let you direct how your assets, properties, and affairs should be managed and distributed in the event of your incapacitation or death. Though precisely what’s in your estate plan can vary depending on your needs and goals, the following documents provide a strong framework for protecting what matters most.
Wills
The cornerstone of your estate plan, your will legally documents your final wishes, provides instructions for executing them, and lays the groundwork for broader planning strategies. We can help you draft a will that directs asset distribution, appoints guardians for minor children, and nominates an executor to manage your estate.
Financial Power of Attorney
A power of attorney (POA) is a legal document that authorizes a trusted individual to manage your financial affairs when you cannot. This type of POA grants your selected agent permission to make decisions regarding banking, investments, real estate, and other financial transactions. However, a financial POA only applies to the specific matters stated in the agreement and becomes null and void when you pass away. McNamee and Company can help you create a financial power of attorney for the affairs you choose that begins immediately or upon your incapacitation.
Health Care Power of Attorney
Also called a durable power of attorney for health care, this crucial legal document lets you authorize someone you trust to make medical decisions for you when your attending physician has determined that you’ve lost the capacity to make informed health care choices for yourself. A health care POA can also give the individual you select permission to gather protected health information for you or on your behalf and nominate a guardian for your person or estate. We can help you craft a durable power of attorney that meets your unique needs.
Trusts
Trusts are legal entities or contracts that hold and manage assets for you and your beneficiaries. These entities can provide wide-ranging benefits, ensuring privacy, helping your estate avoid probate, and enabling faster distribution of property. We can also help you create trusts to hold assets until minor beneficiaries come of age, provide for loved ones with special needs, and more.
Holistic Approach, Smart Solutions, and Exceptional Service for Your Estate Planning Needs
At McNamee and Company, we take a holistic approach to estate planning, getting to know you, your circumstances, and your goals so that we can offer “big picture” solutions to help you achieve them. We’re dedicated to staying current on the latest legal changes and technology, ensuring that we can provide the high-level estate planning services you deserve.
Are you ready to plan your estate? Complete the contact form or call our Westlake, Ohio, law office at 440-572-3420 to request a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your needs and discover how our knowledgeable and experienced Northern Ohio estate planning lawyer can assist you.