Estate Planning

Atwood & M^cCall prides itself on working closely with clients to develop estate plans that are customized to meet individual goals. We recognize that no two clients are alike. We listen to client’s needs and concerns and then craft a plan to meet each specific objective. Additionally, we understand the unique issues and challenges that often accompany blended families, and we specialize in putting plans in place that address those particular dynamics.

With the appropriate plan in place, clients can be protected from a variety of creditor threats, including but not limited to: the IRS, personal creditors of the client, business creditors of the client, divorcing spouses, and creditors of the client’s descendants.

We work with our clients to minimize exposure to income taxes, estate taxes and gift taxes. The federal tax laws change often and each change brings with it new opportunities and challenges for tax planning. We help our clients navigate these ever evolving laws to minimize tax exposure while accomplishing their estate planning goals and objectives.

Let us help you secure your legacy.

Our attorneys are well-versed in the use of numerous planning tools, including, but not limited to:

• The use of Pour-Over Wills and Revocable Living Trusts to pass assets down to loved ones in an organized fashion and in a manner that protects the assets;
• The use of Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts to ensure that life insurance proceeds are not subject to estate tax;
• The restructuring of family businesses and the transfer of interests in those businesses to irrevocable grantor trusts to ensure that future appreciation is not subject to estate tax;
• The creation of Charitable Trusts that allow clients to benefit from their charitable intent by receiving an income tax deduction for contributions to the trust, maintaining a stream of income from the trust assets during life, and avoiding estate taxes on the remaining trust assets upon death;
• The structuring and formation of family limited partnerships to protect assets, to take advantage of potentially discounted values upon the transfer of partnership interests, and to allow for more efficient transfers of the assets upon death;
• A careful analysis of the disposition of retirement benefits to balance both income tax and asset protection considerations following the death of the plan owner.

Together, we detail each aspect of your plan to ensure that you understand your overall estate plan as well as the intricacies of each document. At Atwood & M^cCall, we will help you build a legacy that affords you security and takes care of those you love.