Our clients often ask us how to take title in their new home or investment property. 100% of the time, we refer them to a professional estate attorney to inquire about creating an estate plan so they can take title in the name of their family trust. Here are five of the most valuable reasons.
Avoid probate. The probate process will feel like an IRS audit and you don't want to put anyone, even your family, through that! Probate is the process of liquidating and distributing an estate in the absence of a plan. It's a long, expensive, and arduous process.
Avoid the mess. An estate plan also covers important topics like what happens if you become incapacitated or what happens to your minor children. In the absence of a plan, you and your family are left in the care of the system.
Protect your heirs. Often you are actually protecting your heirs from themselves. Let's face it, not everyone in your family makes the smartest financial and familial decisions. With an estate plan, you can stipulate how and when your heirs receive assets. More importantly, you can stipulate who gets what.
Protect your assets. In the same way as protecting your heirs, you can protect your entire estate with good planning. There are a myriad of tools your estate attorney will share with you.
Save estate taxes. There's nothing worse than paying 40%+ more tax on assets you've already paid 40%+ tax on. A good estate plan can minimum this potential liability.
If you need a referral to good estate attorneys, give me a call at 714 276-7006.