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Estate Planning

Estate Planning

  • Advanced Healthcare Directives
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  • Advanced Healthcare Directives
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  • Estate Planning Definition
  • Guardianships
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Looking for an Estate Lawyer Near You?

The estate attorneys in our Doylestown and Norristown law offices can help you plan for retirement and long-term care. They take a holistic approach that deploy sa variety of strategies to protect you. Those strategies include caregiving, will preparation, powers of attorney, advance directives, and taxation considerations.

Our estate lawyers provide comprehensive legal services to assist in all of these matters. Services include:

  • Advance Directives
  • Estate Administration & Probate
  • Estate Planning
  • Guardianships
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Probate
  • Special Needs Trusts
  • Taxation
  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Will & Trust Litigation

Benefits of Estate Planning

Estate plans are not just for wealthy or retired people. More than ever, they are the right decision for anybody who has a family or a business or wants to be in control of personal health and wealth.

According to Caring.com, only 42% of adults in the U.S. have estate planning documents. If you are one of those individuals, here are some reasons to consider talking with an estate planning attorney.

Manage Your Own Needs

An estate plan isn’t just for planning your death. It also protects you in the event you become incapacitated or incapable of making decisions for yourself. 

Electing Estate Trustees

Estate planning simplifies the administration of your estate. You can assign authority to an executor or trustee to save money reduce the burden on your family.

Taking Care of Your Family

With an estate plan, your state of residence typically decides how your assets get distributed after death. Having appropriate documentation removes any question about how your assets get dispersed.

Minimize Taxes

The IRS places limits around how much money you can transfer without taxation. An estate plan can help minimize tax payments. Money transfer involves three different taxes – estate tax, gift tax, and generation-skipping transfer tax.

Protecting Family Wealth

Estate planning helps preserve wealth by removing your name from assets and placing them into legally-protected vehicles like trusts or limited liability entities.

The estate planning attorneys at our law firm support your decision to be proactive in protecting your family’s future. Our firm can protect, preserve and manage your estate to reach your goal of safeguarding assets, planning for orderly business succession, minimizing inheritance taxes, and ensuring the benefits of your hard work go to your family, not to the government.

What goes into an estate plan?

Whether your estate is modest or complex, estate planning requires some foundational items:

Wills and Trusts

A will or trust is a key component of your estate plan. It expresses your final wishes regarding how you want your estate distributed. Your will takes effect when you die.

A trust takes effect immediately and is generally used to set aside funds or property for a specific purpose.

Many people elect to create their will through web-based tools. Just remember, the wording of that will is critical. It must be crafted consistently to reflect the way you’ve bequeathed assets. Otherwise, the will could be contested.

It pays to talk with an estate attorney near you who can guide you through the process of creating wills and trusts that meet your estate planning needs.

Advanced Directives

Also known as living wills, advance directives for healthcare in Pennsylvania allow you to decide what type of healthcare you want should you become incapacitated or unable to express your wishes regarding accepting, rejecting, or discontinuing medical treatment. You might also consider including a second agent in the event your primary agent is unavailable or unable to act on your behalf.

A living will also determine painful decisions about your care for your loved ones. You can learn more about advanced directives here.

Durable Power of Attorney

A power of attorney lets you appoint someone you trust to manage your financial or medical affairs should you be unable or unavailable to do so yourself. Sans a POA, a court may decide what happens to your assets if you’re found mentally incompetent. The court’s judgment may be contrary to your wishes.

A POA empowers your agent to transact on your behalf and make legal decisions for you. With the pandemic impacting so many lives, it’s important to consider appointing a power of attorney, even for your college-bound children.

Guardianship

If your will or trust fails to include a clause regarding guardianship of your children, selecting a guardian is important, but often overlooked.

Independent of a guardianship designation, a court may rule that your children live with someone you may not have selected. In extreme cases, the court could even rule your children become wards of the state.

Estate Administration & Probate

Estate administration is the process of managing and distributing the assets of the deceased. The tasks of estate administration and probate fall to the executor or personal representative named in the will. If there is no will, the court will designate an administrator.

Probate is the specific manner by which your estate gets distributed to family members through the legal system. In Pennsylvania, small estates can go through a simplified process.

If the estate has more than $25,000 in assets, regular probate procedures are required. In either case, our estate attorneys can guide you through the executor or personal representative responsibilities, assuring that you meet deadlines and are in compliance with your fiduciary duties.

What Happens if an Estate Plan is Disputed?

When a will or trust is in dispute, families can be torn apart at the very time they should be pulling together. Our estate lawyers help by looking for an estate dispute resolution that causes the least financial and emotional distress. If litigation becomes necessary, our estate planning attorneys provide vigorous advocacy on behalf of our clients.

Ready to Talk to an Estate Attorney Near You About Estate Planning?

A well-crafted and regularly reviewed estate plan is the best gift you can give your family. As an experienced and well-recognized law firm, our estate attorneys can help you create a plan that works for you and helps you meet your goals

Substantial estates are managed with care and foresight by estate attorneys at our local law offices in Doylestown and Norristown. Our estate lawyers can counsel you about preserving your assets for future generations.

If you’re considering creating an estate plan, consult with one of our estate lawyers today.

Looking for an Estate Lawyer Near You?

The estate attorneys in our Doylestown and Norristown law offices can help you plan for retirement and long-term care. They take a holistic approach that deploy sa variety of strategies to protect you. Those strategies include caregiving, will preparation, powers of attorney, advance directives, and taxation considerations.

Our estate lawyers provide comprehensive legal services to assist in all of these matters. Services include:

  • Advance Directives
  • Estate Administration & Probate
  • Estate Planning
  • Guardianships
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Probate
  • Special Needs Trusts
  • Taxation
  • Trusts
  • Wills
  • Will & Trust Litigation

Benefits of Estate Planning

Estate plans are not just for wealthy or retired people. More than ever, they are the right decision for anybody who has a family or a business or wants to be in control of personal health and wealth.

According to Caring.com, only 42% of adults in the U.S. have estate planning documents. If you are one of those individuals, here are some reasons to consider talking with an estate planning attorney.

Manage Your Own Needs

An estate plan isn’t just for planning your death. It also protects you in the event you become incapacitated or incapable of making decisions for yourself. 

Electing Estate Trustees

Estate planning simplifies the administration of your estate. You can assign authority to an executor or trustee to save money reduce the burden on your family.

Taking Care of Your Family

With an estate plan, your state of residence typically decides how your assets get distributed after death. Having appropriate documentation removes any question about how your assets get dispersed.

Minimize Taxes

The IRS places limits around how much money you can transfer without taxation. An estate plan can help minimize tax payments. Money transfer involves three different taxes – estate tax, gift tax, and generation-skipping transfer tax.

Protecting Family Wealth

Estate planning helps preserve wealth by removing your name from assets and placing them into legally-protected vehicles like trusts or limited liability entities.

The estate planning attorneys at our law firm support your decision to be proactive in protecting your family’s future. Our firm can protect, preserve and manage your estate to reach your goal of safeguarding assets, planning for orderly business succession, minimizing inheritance taxes, and ensuring the benefits of your hard work go to your family, not to the government.

What goes into an estate plan?

Whether your estate is modest or complex, estate planning requires some foundational items:

Wills and Trusts

A will or trust is a key component of your estate plan. It expresses your final wishes regarding how you want your estate distributed. Your will takes effect when you die.

A trust takes effect immediately and is generally used to set aside funds or property for a specific purpose.

Many people elect to create their will through web-based tools. Just remember, the wording of that will is critical. It must be crafted consistently to reflect the way you’ve bequeathed assets. Otherwise, the will could be contested.

It pays to talk with an estate attorney near you who can guide you through the process of creating wills and trusts that meet your estate planning needs.

Advanced Directives

Also known as living wills, advance directives for healthcare in Pennsylvania allow you to decide what type of healthcare you want should you become incapacitated or unable to express your wishes regarding accepting, rejecting, or discontinuing medical treatment. You might also consider including a second agent in the event your primary agent is unavailable or unable to act on your behalf.

A living will also determine painful decisions about your care for your loved ones. You can learn more about advanced directives here.

Durable Power of Attorney

A power of attorney lets you appoint someone you trust to manage your financial or medical affairs should you be unable or unavailable to do so yourself. Sans a POA, a court may decide what happens to your assets if you’re found mentally incompetent. The court’s judgment may be contrary to your wishes.

A POA empowers your agent to transact on your behalf and make legal decisions for you. With the pandemic impacting so many lives, it’s important to consider appointing a power of attorney, even for your college-bound children.

Guardianship

If your will or trust fails to include a clause regarding guardianship of your children, selecting a guardian is important, but often overlooked.

Independent of a guardianship designation, a court may rule that your children live with someone you may not have selected. In extreme cases, the court could even rule your children become wards of the state.

Estate Administration & Probate

Estate administration is the process of managing and distributing the assets of the deceased. The tasks of estate administration and probate fall to the executor or personal representative named in the will. If there is no will, the court will designate an administrator.

Probate is the specific manner by which your estate gets distributed to family members through the legal system. In Pennsylvania, small estates can go through a simplified process.

If the estate has more than $25,000 in assets, regular probate procedures are required. In either case, our estate attorneys can guide you through the executor or personal representative responsibilities, assuring that you meet deadlines and are in compliance with your fiduciary duties.

What Happens if an Estate Plan is Disputed?

When a will or trust is in dispute, families can be torn apart at the very time they should be pulling together. Our estate lawyers help by looking for an estate dispute resolution that causes the least financial and emotional distress. If litigation becomes necessary, our estate planning attorneys provide vigorous advocacy on behalf of our clients.

Ready to Talk to an Estate Attorney Near You About Estate Planning?

A well-crafted and regularly reviewed estate plan is the best gift you can give your family. As an experienced and well-recognized law firm, our estate attorneys can help you create a plan that works for you and helps you meet your goals

Substantial estates are managed with care and foresight by estate attorneys at our local law offices in Doylestown and Norristown. Our estate lawyers can counsel you about preserving your assets for future generations.

If you’re considering creating an estate plan, consult with one of our estate lawyers today.

Our Estate Attorneys

Stephanie A. Henrick

Stephanie A. Henrick
Stephanie A. Henrick concentrates her practice in Estate Planning, Estate Administration and Tax Law. Her customized approach to estate planning provides her clients with personalized attention to address their unique circumstances.
Read More

Gilbert P. High Jr.

Gilbert P. High Jr.
Gilbert P. High, Jr. has devoted his career primarily to the practice of Municipal and Real Estate and Land Use Law.
Read More

Donald Petrille, Jr.

Donald Petrille, Jr.
Donald Petrille, Jr. primarily represents businesses and their shareholders as they wrestle with complex issues in today’s ever-changing legal environment.
Read More

Kathleen M. Thomas

Kathleen M. Thomas
Kathleen M. Thomas concentrates her practice in the areas of municipal law, small business, non-profit law, and civil litigation. Kathleen is also experienced in other areas of municipal law, including Right to Know, land development, zoning, code, and enforcement.
Read More

Estate Planning Blog

How to Access the Digital Assets, logins, and passwords of Someone who Has Died

January 22, 2021 No Comments

Accessing the digital assets of a loved one after they have passed can be difficult. Below are some tips to make it easier for everyone.

Read More »

Advanced Healthcare Directives in PA

December 30, 2019 No Comments

Advanced Healthcare Directives are a necessary group of documents when planning an estate of a loved one, no matter their age. When planning your estate,

Read More »

Ancillary Probate and How To Avoid It

December 4, 2019 No Comments

Just when you thought you were done with the fine print of a dead loved one’s will, you find an “ancillary” problem, in another state.

Read More »

How to Plan a Funeral

June 5, 2018 No Comments

People love to make plans-the perfect wedding, that dream vacation, a comfortable retirement, the kitchen remodel.  Making plans is one of the great joys of

Read More »

Revocable Living Trust: Not the Magic Bullet

April 11, 2018 No Comments

So what is a revocable living trust?  A trust is a legal written agreement between various individuals:  The individuals involved include the trustmaker, who is

Read More »

The Survivor Takes All… NOT ALWAYS

September 27, 2017 No Comments

September 27, 2017 by Mary R. LaSota Married without a Will in Pennsylvania?  Do you think your surviving spouse will inherit everything?  Think Again.  For

Read More »

When is a Will Really a Will?

January 10, 2017 No Comments

January 10, 2017 By Donald Petrille, Jr. The rules for executing a Will in Pennsylvania are simple and clear.  Unfortunately, life, and its circumstances, often

Read More »

Wills, Trusts & Estates News

Coronavirus Pandemic Legal Services, Information, and Resources

January 28, 2021 No Comments

Updated on 1/28/2021 COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Links for Southeastern PA

Read More »

COVID-19 Vaccine Registration Links for Southeastern PA and NJ Residents

January 22, 2021 No Comments

Listed are web links to Southeastern PA and New Jersey

Read More »

High Swartz Merges with the Law Offices of Glen-David Schwarzschild, LLC of New Jersey

January 1, 2021 No Comments

We are pleased to announce the firm’s merger with the

Read More »

Elizabeth C. Early Elected Partner at High Swartz

January 1, 2021 No Comments

The family law attorney and parenting coordinator has also been

Read More »

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40 East Airy Street
Norristown, PA 19401
610.275.0700

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116 East Court Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
215.345.8888

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Our Legal Services

  • Appellate Law
  • Business Law
  • Education Law
  • Employment Law
  • Environmental Law
  • Estate Planning
  • Family Law
  • Franchise Law
  • Intellectual Property Law
  • Municipal & Government Law
  • Non-Profit Law
  • Personal Injury
  • Real Estate Law
  • Social Security Disability Law
  • Workers’ Compensation