Tampa, Florida Estate Planning Lawyers
The Tampa, Florida estate planning lawyers at The Reyes Firm can help you preserve your legacy, make your wishes known, and ensure that your loved ones are taken care of should you pass away. It is never too early to begin your estate planning. While there might be templates online for wills, and advanced directives, the reality is that every person’s situation is unique. There’s always a risk that these tools might not address your family’s specific needs, or your specific concerns. This is why hiring an estate planning lawyer to help you choose the tools that are right for you and to help you craft a will or trust that’s right for your situation is important. Taking the time to plan now can save your family stress and heartache in the future and can save your family the anxiety of a lengthy probate process. The Reyes Firm is an estate planning law firm in Tampa, Florida that can help you.
Who Should Think About Estate Planning?
Estate planning is not just for those at the end of life or for those who have received a terminal diagnosis. For example, if you are young, having a medical directive in place can ensure that your loved ones and family know what your wishes are should you get into an accident or suffer a medical crisis where you cannot make decisions on your own behalf. If you have young children, estate planning can make clear who you would want to care for your children should the unthinkable happen. If you have a chronic or progressive illness, estate planning can make your wishes clear to family and loved ones and ensure that you preserve your legacy for future generations.
Estate planning can include many different components. At The Reyes Firm, our Tampa, Florida estate planning lawyers help with a wide range of estate planning needs. We can assist you with your trust or will, and help you understand the various legal tools available to ensure that your affairs are in order. No one likes to think about the end of life. At The Reyes Firm, we can help you ask the tough questions that need to be considered with every sound estate plan.
What is End of Life Planning?
End of life planning is a type of estate planning that not only considers what will happen to your assets and property should you pass away, but also involves planning for your final days, including providing medical directives for your family members outlining the kind of care you would and would not like to receive. End of life planning can also make clear your wishes for your celebration of life, funeral, or burial. End of life planning isn’t just for people who have received a terminal diagnosis, though many people who have received a terminal diagnosis or diagnosis of a chronic illness are often advised by their doctors to begin end of life planning with their families.
End of life planning is something everyone should consider. If the unexpected happens, does your spouse or family know what kind of medical care you’d like to receive if you are suddenly injured and not expected to recover? Does your family know who you’d like to care for your children should you and your spouse pass away suddenly? And if you are older, do your children or other family members know what your wishes are? The Reyes Firm is a Tampa, Florida estate planning law firm that can offer you and your family guidance.
Death is not a topic we discuss often in our culture, but so often it arrives unexpectedly, leading to difficulty for those who survive. By having a proper estate plan in place, you ensure that your loved ones know what kind of medical care you’d like to receive, which person you want in charge of your medical care, how you want to be remembered during a celebration of life, and how you’d like to distribute your assets and property after you pass away.
The Tampa, Florida estate planning lawyers at The Reyes Firm may be able to help you with your estate plan today. Contact our Tampa, Florida estate planning lawyers to begin the process. We can help you plan for the future so that you can enjoy peace of mind today.
What Goes into a Strong Estate Plan?
There are several legal documents you’ll want to have in place when developing a strong estate plan. The Reyes Firm can review your needs and write these legal documents so that they are in alignment with your wishes. While there might be template documents available online, these documents may not always be able to account for your specific situation. A disputed or ambiguous will, for example, could lead to a long court process or difficulty for your loved ones. And in some cases, a will isn’t always the best estate planning option. Having a very precise and clear estate plan with documents that clearly and specifically outline your wishes is important, as is knowing which tool to use and when. Here are some documents or tools you may want to include in your estate plan:
- Living Will or Advance Directive lets you formally tell loved ones and doctors about the kind of medical care you’d like to receive should you become unable to make medical decisions on your own.
- Power of Attorney assigns a person to make medical, legal, or financial decisions on your behalf should you become unable to make them yourself.
- Living Trust outlines how you’d like your assets and finances handled should you become too ill to manage your money or finances yourself.
- A will is a document that outlines how you want your property and assets distributed to your heirs and loved ones. Even if you have a trust in place to pass most of your assets to loved ones, there may still be assets and property that may not be able to go in the trust and may need to be accounted for in a will.
- A Trust is a kind of tool that allows you to transfer money and assets to loved ones should you pass away. Unlike a will, with a trust you can pass assets and property to loved ones without having to go through the courts or probate. You also have greater control over how money is used or when it is distributed when it is put in a trust.
These are just some of the estate planning tools available to you. A Tampa, Florida estate planning lawyer can review your specific situation to determine which tools are appropriate and which combination of legal documents will be required given your specific estate planning situation. It is never too soon to begin planning. Reach out to the Tampa, Florida estate planning lawyers at The Reyes Firm today to learn more.
