Monmouth County Elder Law Attorney

Taking the time to think through your wishes for the end of your life while you are still vibrant and healthy can make a huge difference for your family when the time comes. No one likes to think about the fact that they will die, but the fact is that it will happen, and it will likely bring significant grief to the people who love you.

The best thing you can do to make that time easier for them is to create a clear will. Developing a will with the help of a Monmouth County elder law attorney will make it easier for your family to understand your wishes and divide up your estate. This way, they can focus on grieving instead of arguing.

How We Can Help

A will is essential if you have very few assets or a multi-million-dollar estate. Your will determines what will happen to the things you leave behind, whether they have monetary or sentimental value. Creating this kind of plan can prevent painful arguments between your family members. We have all heard of families torn apart due to arguing over an estate – don’t let that be your family.

You may also want to consider whom you would trust to decide on your behalf if you were incapacitated. These decisions could be medical, legal, or financial and are very important. This person needs to be someone that you trust deeply. By making this decision ahead of time, you allow yourself to have critical conversations with this person, so they know what you want.

We can also help you plan for end-of-life care, which is often very expensive. Chances are small that your insurance will cover the care you need. So, you will want to plan how to shoulder this expense. In most cases, this means planning to be Medicaid eligible, which often requires the help of a Monmouth County elder law attorney.

Now is the Time

The right time to plan your estate is as soon as you begin thinking about it. While you may be in excellent health, people can suffer horrible accidents or terminal illnesses anytime. By creating a will, you can give your family the gift of a plan. You can be confident that your wishes will be fulfilled when you are no longer here.

This kind of planning and decision-making is challenging logistically and emotionally; however, we will help you navigate this challenging process from start to finish. Your will is an opportunity to consider the legacy you want to leave behind and give your family the gift of a clear plan. By creating a will, you ensure that they will be able to focus on their grief and bonding as a family rather than on navigating the division of your estate. Call us today to learn how we can help you and your family through the elder law process.

Monmouth County Estate Administration Attorney

Being chosen to serve as an estate administrator can be a great honor. It means that a person trusts you to carry out their wishes after death. However, it can also be stressful. You must navigate complicated legal and financial systems that you may not have any experience with, all while grieving a major loss.

Dealing with these things is difficult in the best of times, and grieving is far from the best of times. When you are trying to handle both of those things at once, it can feel nearly impossible. That’s why you should work with a professional that you can trust to help you navigate this complicated system successfully while also making space for you to process your grief. You should work with a Monmouth County estate administration attorney.

What is Estate Administration?

Estate administration is the act of executing an estate – closing accounts, paying bills, paying taxes, and distributing assets. If the deceased left a clear will, this could be simple. If not, it can be incredibly complicated.

The first step is typically probate, which involves going to court to ensure that any will left behind is legally valid. Usually, this means that it was properly signed and notarized when it was written. However, it could be a more in-depth process involving gathering evidence to legitimize the will. We can help you understand what kind of evidence you need and navigate this process.

You may also need to pay bills and taxes on behalf of the deceased before distributing assets. Working with a skilled accountant is important to ensure everything is done correctly. We have connections with great accountants in the area who can support you further. When you use our recommended service providers, you can be confident that you are working with the best Monmouth County offers.

Finally, you need to distribute assets based on the will. If the property includes real estate or other property, you may need to have it appraised first and either sell it or transfer it to the intended owner. This process has little room for error; you must follow each step correctly.

Work With Us

When you work with a Monmouth County estate administration attorney, you will get expert advice every step of the way. We can also help you deal with more complicated estates involving planned giving, trusts, significant debts, and other confusing factors. We will ensure that you understand your legal options and help you make the right decisions for your family.

We also understand that you are going through an emotionally difficult time. We can connect you with mental health resources, such as social workers, to help you process your grief while managing the estate administration process. If you like, you can even hire us to administer the entire estate on your behalf so that you can focus on your grief. Give us a call today to find out how we can help you.

Monmouth County Estate Litigation Attorney

It’s a cliche, but we’ve all seen it: grief can bring out the worst in people. We have all heard of a family torn apart by a dispute over inheritances. It can lead to life-long estrangements between people that were formerly very close. On the other hand, grief can also bring people together if they can bond over their loss rather than argue over their inheritance.

When a will is unclear, a family member will often bring a suit. If you are the victim of an unclear will, reach out to a Monmouth County estate litigation attorney to find out how we can help you succeed in court.

How An Attorney Can Help

Navigating an estate dispute can be very complicated. When you have a skilled attorney on your team, you can access all the support, information, and legal advice you need.

Determining who should receive certain assets can be impossible if a will was not left behind. Sometimes, one adult child wants to keep the family home, and the other wishes to sell it. Or, perhaps the deceased promised the same sentimental object to more than one of their grandchildren. These arguments can blow up into decades-long feuds – or we can help you find a solution.

You may also find yourself in a situation where a will is found to be invalid. It may have not been signed and notarized properly – such as a will found in a desk drawer, but not created with the help of an attorney. Or, it may have been written when the deceased was incapacitated, so it does not count. In these situations, you may be able to validate the will by going through a lengthy probate process. If not, we can help solve the dispute through a different channel.

There is a lot that can go wrong in these kinds of cases, both legally and emotionally. When you work with a Monmouth County estate litigation attorney, you can be sure you will have the support you need. We can often help families sort out these things outside the legal system – and maintain those meaningful relationships.

Call Us Today

We have helped many families throughout Monmouth County with their estate litigation disputes. Call us if your family is dealing with a complicated will and you expect it might become a problem. We can help you understand your legal options and represent you in court. We’ll also figure out a distribution of assets that respects the wishes of the deceased and is fair to you and the rest of your family. Reach out today to find out how we can help you through this challenging time.

Monmouth County Estate Planning Attorney

No one wants to think about what will happen after their death. Unfortunately, death is a certainty, and the best thing you can do to help your family get through it is to create a plan for your estate.

Estate planning lets you decide what will happen to your property after you go. It also gives you a chance to think through other end-of-life decisions. It’s never too early to begin planning your estate.

Why A Plan is Right for You

Making a plan is the only way to ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death. If you do not have a will, your property could go to people whom you do not intend. Your unmarried partner could be entirely left out of your estate if you do not clarify that you want them to be included. Your heirs could also wind up arguing over your estate, causing a long-lasting rift.

If you are a parent of minor children, you also need to consider what will happen to them if you can no longer take care of them. This is especially true if their other parent can also not care for them. Considering the guardianship of your children is the most important decision you could make for their future. By making this decision early, you can have meaningful conversations with the chosen guardian before that time. That way, they understand your wishes for your children, just in case the worst comes to pass.

As your life circumstances change, you will need to keep revisiting your estate plan. As your children age, your estate grows, or your marital status changes, you need to reconsider what you want to happen. If you write a will when you first have a child, you will need to revisit that will many times over the course of your life.

Choose a Monmouth County Estate Planning Attorney

By working with us, you are working with the best that Monmouth County offers. We’ll get to know your unique situation and help you create a plan. Your plan could mean a will, planned giving, long-term-care planning, a trust, or a combination of these vehicles. Whatever you choose, we’ll help you understand your options and feel confident in your decision.

Creating a solid estate plan ahead of time is the best way to support your family during what will inevitably be a very difficult time for them. When you work with us, you can be confident that you will create a plan that will hold up in court and save your family from stress. Give us a call today to find out how we can help you.

Monmouth County Life Care Planning Attorney

It isn’t very comforting to think that you may be unable to decide for yourself at some point. However, many people experience this at the end of their life. At that point, you will need to have someone else making decisions on your behalf. That person will need guidance from you to make the right choices.

How to Start Life Care Planning

If you want to help your loved ones make the right choices for you, you should start by creating a clear life plan. Your plan will spell out the kind of legal, financial, and medical decisions you want on your behalf. You can take a major burden off the shoulders of the person that becomes responsible for this – which will likely be one of your children, who will be going through a challenging time.

Make it easier for your family by making these plans ahead of time. It can be challenging to make decisions on behalf of someone you love if they have not made their wishes clear and very stressful to fear making the wrong choices. You can give them confidence by writing down precisely what you want.

When is the Right Time to Plan?

Make your life plan as early as possible—the earlier you plan, the more we can help you. For example, you might qualify for a pension, veteran’s benefits, or other programs. Or, you might be able to plan enough to qualify for Medicaid while still protecting your assets for your heirs.

Of course, you could suffer from an illness or an accident at any time, so it is never too early to begin making your plan. If you are diagnosed with an illness that may impact your ability to make decisions for yourself, it’s important to plan while you are still capable. It can be very scary to think about how this kind of disease could impact you, but one of the best things you can do to gain control is to make a clear plan.

You may also be inspired to work with a Monmouth County life care planning attorney if you have watched someone you love go through this process. Seeing someone you care for lose their faculties can be frightening and painful. It might also remind you to begin making your own plans and getting your wishes in writing.

We can also help you work with our elder care coordinator, who is an expert in every aspect of life care planning. With your Monmouth County life care planning attorney and their help, you can create a plan that will help your family make the right decisions for you. We hope you don’t need this plan for decades, but you will be glad to have it when you do. Give us a call today to get started.

Monmouth County Medicaid Planning Attorney

As you age, you will likely need more medical care than you did in your younger years. This could even mean full-time residential care at the end of your life. This kind of care is incredibly expensive and is rarely covered by your standard health insurance. As you plan for the end of your life, handling medical expenses is a major stressor for many people.

What About Medicaid?

You may have heard that Medicaid is a great resource to cover these costs. That is often true, but limitations exist when qualifying for Medicaid. Specifically, there are strict limits on both your income and your assets. If the government believes you have too much money, you will not be able to take advantage of Medicaid benefits until you spend down most of those resources. You may even need to sell your home before you can qualify.

It might seem like a simple way around this is to make gifts to your heirs and then apply for Medicaid, but it’s not that easy. The government will look at your finances going back five years to ensure that you have not done exactly that. You are not allowed to distribute your property and immediately qualify for the program.

What Can You Do?

Spending your entire life’s savings on a few months of medical care might horrify you. You worked hard to save that money and pass it on to your children and grandchildren, helping them achieve their dreams. You can still do that – but you will need to plan ahead.

Fortunately, there are ways to protect your assets and still get the care you need covered by Medicaid. Due to the five-year lookback period, you must plan significantly ahead of time. It’s unfortunately impossible to know when you will need services, so it is important to begin your planning early.

If you plan far enough ahead of time, you can distribute your money and property to your heirs and then qualify for Medicaid when the time comes. We can help you make the decisions that leave you with enough money to live on in the meantime.

You may even find that you enjoy having the opportunity to give your family their inheritance while you are around to see them enjoy it. It can be fun to give loved ones generous gifts and watch their dreams come true – and they may appreciate the opportunity to share their gratitude with you! This can be a beneficial side effect of distributing your wealth early.

We can help you make a plan to distribute your assets fairly and be ready to qualify for Medicaid when you need it. If you think you might be within a decade or so of requiring Medicaid-covered nursing care, it’s a good time to begin talking with a Monmouth County Medicaid planning attorney. We can help you understand the nuances of this complicated program so that you can make the right decisions for yourself and your family. Give us a call today to find out how we can help.