Patrica
Experienced & Thoughtful
Estate Planning & Administration

Contra Costa County Estate Planning Attorneys

Preserving Your Future

Creating an estate plan is the best way to protect your assets as you age and prepare for your future needs. With a customized estate plan, you can set money aside for your medical care, designate beneficiaries to receive assets and maximize your estate to hand down to your loved ones. Our team will address your estate planning concerns and help you create a pathway for the future.

At Patricia Scott Law, we understand how hard you’ve worked for your assets. We want to use our experience to help you protect your assets as you encounter more significant costs, including in-home care, nursing home care, and more. We also want to give you the tools you need to control where your assets go after you pass away.

If you’re interested in creating an estate plan, please call us today at 510-984-2390 to speak to an estate planning attorney.

What Does an Estate Plan Include?

An estate plan can consist of many different tools. Each tool has its own unique uses, and some may be more relevant to you than others. Our team will look at your situation and your goals to determine which estate planning documents are right for you.

Basic estate plans contain the following:

Wills

A last will and testament, also known as a will, is one of the most common estate planning documents. In a will, you can include instructions for your funeral, name beneficiaries, and assign guardians to younger children. A will is recommended for almost anyone, regardless of the size of their estate.

Trusts

Trusts are legal documents made to remove assets from an estate while still maintaining control over them. Depending on the type of trust you choose, you can use it to protect assets and minimize taxes.

Powers of Attorney

There may come a time when you cannot make financial or medical decisions on your own. You can create a power of attorney to assign a loved one the power to make those decisions for you. There are multiple kinds of powers of attorney to choose from, all with different benefits.

Advance Healthcare Directives

Advance healthcare directives focus solely on medical decisions in the future. You can note medical treatments that you do or do not consent to. Many people use this document to plan end-of-life care.

Why Is it Important to Have an Estate Plan?

There’s a common misconception that estate plans are only for the extremely wealthy. Not only are estate plans essential for everyone, but they offer many benefits besides just control over assets.

The major benefits of creating an estate plan include:

Paying for Medical Care

As you age, your medical costs may get higher. Nursing home costs, in-home care, and other treatments can all take valuable assets away from your estate. With our estate planning attorneys, you can use estate planning tools to preserve your assets while qualifying for free or reduced medical care.

Protecting Minor Children

If you have children under the age of 18, you can use an estate plan to decide who will take care of them if you pass away. While this can be challenging to think about, it’s an essential component of protecting your loved ones.

Reducing Family Trouble

When a family member dies, their loved ones use an estate plan to get instructions on assets and properties. Without an estate plan in place, your family will be left in the dark, wondering how you might have wanted your assets divided. Our estate planning tools let you leave clear instructions to avoid any questions.

Minimizing Taxes

Tax planning is an essential part of your estate plan. Without the right tax planning documents, a large part of your estate may go toward federal estate taxes and inheritance taxes.

What Happens if You Don’t Have an Estate Plan?

Dying without a will is called “dying intestate.” If you don’t have a will at the time of your death, the state decides what to do with your assets and how to divide them between your family members. The only way to have the state respect your wishes is by creating an estate plan for the court to follow after your death.

If you do not have a will, your assets will be divided between the following people:

  • A surviving spouse
  • Your children
  • Your grandchildren
  • Your parents
  • Your grandparents

If the state can’t locate any of your relatives or you have no surviving relatives, your assets will be seized. Dying without an estate plan means your assets will be distributed without your input. If you want to maintain control over your estate, working with an estate planning attorney is the best way to do so.

What Does an Estate Planning Attorney Do?

Our estate planning attorneys are here to help you protect your assets and provide for yourself in the future. We will listen to your goals, learn more about your family dynamics, and make recommendations about your estate plan to help you preserve what you’ve worked so hard for.

Our team at Patricia Scott Law represents clients like you who want to make the most of their estate plans. We are confident that with our extensive experience in estate planning law, we can assist you with all your estate planning needs. For more information about our services, please call us today at 510-984-2390.