Estate Planning Services
There are many misconceptions about estate planning. People think estate planning is something only the wealthy need, or just the retired require. The reality is, this could not be further from the truth. No matter your age, your income status, or the assets you have acquired, estate planning is essential. Estate planning involves taking steps to care for your loved ones, and also to make sure you can maintain dignity and autonomy in the face of tragedy.
W. David Keast is a trusted estate planning lawyer in Youngstown, Mahoning County, and the surrounding area. David will help you to make full use of legal tools available under Ohio law to protect your assets, to leave a legacy, and to control what happens in the event of incapacity. Give David a call today to learn how he can offer you personalized advice and to get answers to questions including:
- What is estate planning?
- Who should create an estate plan?
- How can an estate planning lawyer help me?
What is Estate Planning?
Estate planning involves addressing the issues that can arise at the end of your life and after your death. An estate plan may include a last will and testament which details how your assets will be distributed. Provisions for minor children can be outlined in your plan. You can name someone to act as guardian if something happens to you and make plans to provide for your children’s financial needs.
Estate planning attorneys can also help clients with their financial plans, which can include setting goals for your future and taking advantage of tax breaks to help you save. As you accumulate assets, you will want to protect them from creditors, estate taxes, and irresponsible heirs. David Keast can help with an asset protection plan. Maybe you want to put together a legacy plan. Do you want to give to charity, leave an inheritance to loved ones, or do both? An estate plan could include trusts and other tools that allow you to leave a legacy.
Estate Planning also provides an incapacity plan and a long-term care plan. If you get ill or hurt and cannot make health decisions or manage your assets, your incapacity plan lets you determine who should take action on your behalf. Thinking long-term, you will need to make preparations for protecting your assets while getting the expenses of a nursing home covered. Do you want hospice care if you are terminally ill? What extraordinary measures do you want doctors to take to save your life? You need to create an advanced directive and name a health care proxy to provide answers to these questions.
These are just some of the many things that you may wish to consider including in your estate plan. Because each circumstance is individual, you need to get personalized advice from an estate planning lawyer who can form a plan tailored to you. David Keast can help you put together this customized estate plan.
Who Should Create an Estate Plan?
Everyone, of all ages and income levels, should create an estate plan. Whether you are thirty or seventy, there is a risk of incapacity or death occurring at any time. Without a plan in place, your assets could be at risk of being mismanaged and your money lost. Your children could end up being cared for by someone you would not have chosen for them, and the wrong person could end up making your healthcare choices. Your family could also find themselves in a difficult situation, fighting over assets or uncertain about what your wishes would have been for medical care.
No one likes to think about the possibility of an accident, illness, or injury, causing them to become incapacitated or pass away – but the reality is that the end of life happens for everyone at some time. If you work with David Keast to put a plan in place, then you are prepared for an uncertain future, which provides the peace of mind of knowing that your family is always going to be provided for no matter what happens to you.
How Can an Estate Planning Lawyer Help Me?
W. David Keast is a committed, compassionate estate planning lawyer. He has extensive experience in eldercare working in various administrator roles. He also has a long history of satisfied clients who have benefited from his knowledgeable legal advice.
David understands that it can be tough to think about illness and end of life issues, and David aims to make the estate planning process as uncomplicated, straightforward, and stress-free as possible. To learn more about how David Keast can help you, give him a call today.