Wills and Trusts

Wills and Trusts

San Diego Estate Planning and Wills and Trusts Attorney

My estate planning practice focuses on fulfilling your individualized needs and desires while minimizing your exposure to tax liabilities.  Estate planning, using various Wills and Trusts, allows you to specify how you wish your assets to be handled following your death or incapacity. The focus of proper estate planning should be to ensure that your loved ones and charity organizations will be provided for and that your assets will be designated in harmony with your wishes without incurring avoidable probate costs and taxes.

Estate Planning and Tax Planning

My expertise provides both basic estate planning services, including Wills and Trusts creation such as the very common combination of a Living Trust and a Pour-Over Will as well as advanced health care directives that advise your medical preferences and wishes. My primary goal is to develop estate plans that clearly lay out distributions to heirs, clearly advise on your wishes for medical care, avoid or simplify probate, and minimize tax consequences that arise. I believes that the fundamental important areas of estate planning should include:

  • Pour-Over Wills
  • Revocable Trusts
  • Living Trusts
  • Life Insurance Trusts
  • Lifetime Gift Giving Programs
  • Powers of Attorney for Assets
  • Advance Health Care Directives

Living Trust

When creating a living trust, it is crucial to grasp the benefits and how having one may help preserve your estate’s assets. A living trust can contain  instructions that specify who gets what, when, and where from your estate’s assets. These instructions are critical and should be very clear as well as not contradict any other instructions that you’ve included in your estate planning.

Pour-Over Will

With a well-written living trust, the pour-over will has one beneficiary, your living trust. This makes certain that all of your assets are controlled by the terms of the trust. This averts contrasting instructions or overlooked items.

Advanced Directive for Health Care /ADHC

The Advanced Directive for Health Care, or ADHC, designates the person you’ve chosen who will have the power to make health care decisions for you if and when you are unable to make them for yourself. It also sets out instructions you’ve made regarding your health care decisions, including instructions as to extraordinary measures to prolong your existence, as well as your preferences on organ donation (of your organs, eyes, or tissues), cremation vs. burial, and funeral services.

Proper estate planning will help your family and friends by taking care of some difficult choices. Clear direction can help your loved ones and friends not fight over the dissolution of your estate. It also helps avoid unnecessary strain and stress during an already emotionally exhausting time.

This is just a basic overview and is not legal advice specific to your situation.  If you would like to speak with me about your situation, please email me at CC@SanDiegoTaxLawAttorney.com or call 800-235-0894.

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e-Mail Chris Cooke, Esq. Map to Office
I am your San Diego Tax Attorney Chris Cooke, Esq. Every day I have the privilege to meet good people struggling with tax issues that if not handled correctly can cause stress, anxiety or over payment of unnecessary taxes. Often times we discover that with some simple planning we can significantly reduce the taxes that they as an individual or business owner will owe next year and for years to come. Yes! The tax laws are complicated and ever-changing, which is why you need someone who lives and breathes Tax Laws & Regulations 365/24/7... No matter the complexities of your financial or tax challenges, I can assure you that working with a full-time lawyer who works with tax laws will go a long way to finding a solution that makes sense... Knowledge is Power and I will share my extensive legal and tax law knowledge with you when you have me partner with you.
Call my office to schedule an appointment with me, San Diego Tax Attorney, Chris Cooke, Esq. My offices are open 9 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Call (800) 235-0894