Do I Need an Attorney to Plan My Estate in Florida?

Do You Need an Attorney to Plan Your Estate?

The simple answer is that you don't need to hire an estate attorney. You can definitely create an estate plan on your own, but in order to ensure that you’ve covered all of your bases and have taken any legal issues into consideration, it may be helpful to consult the services of dedicated professionals with plenty of experience in the estate planning field. This is particularly true if you’re looking at an estate that is particularly large or complex.

Writing an estate plan helps you and your family members plan ahead. With a comprehensive estate plan, you'll compile an inventory of your assets and perhaps devise strategies to reduce taxes and fees and ensure that your loved ones have an easier time settling your estate, whenever that may be. When creating a comprehensive estate plan, using the help of professional services such as ClearEstate to help you write a plan that distributes your assets while taking taxes and local laws into consideration can be a more cost-effective solution to hiring an attorney.

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What Does ClearEstate Offer for Estate Planners?

Professional Guidance

Writing a will isn't as simple as listing your assets in a document along with each beneficiary's name. If you don't consider local taxes and fees, your beneficiaries might lose a chunk of their inheritance. You'll also have to pay off debts and take steps to ensure the validity of your will.

ClearEstate offers professional guidance so that you’re left with a comprehensive will that covers every eventuality. You could donate assets to charity, set up trust funds for the benefit of beneficiaries who are minors, plan ahead by gifting inheritances during your lifetime, and reduce the time that your estate spends in probate by managing your finances before your death.

Estate Planning Software

Keeping track of paperwork is one of the most stressful parts of writing a will. You'll have dozens of documents that cover assets, finances and liabilities with little organization. If you lose one document, you'll have to find a copy or risk losing control of the asset.

ClearEstate's platform presents your information in a clear, easy-to-use interface. Access your information with a few clicks, and keep your documentation in one place. ClearEstate provides simple steps and lists your completion level so you can manage everything with ease.

Asset Inventories

Your will needs to include every asset that belongs to your estate in order to evaluate its worth. Even if you have a small estate, your will could include a house, vehicles, savings accounts, stocks, and personal possessions. Large estates can have thousands or millions of dollars in properties, investments, savings accounts, business interests, jewelry, collectibles, and family heirlooms.

With ClearEstate's platform, you'll be able to list every asset and view your documents in seconds. This makes it easy to assess your situation and provide a neat, orderly plan for your beneficiaries.

Annual Reviews and Updates

Your will might be comprehensive today, but a year from now, parts of your will might be obsolete. You could acquire new assets, lose assets that you listed in the will, get married, get divorced, have children, start a business, or become a grandparent.

ClearEstate provides the option to choose annual reviews of your will to ensure that everything is up to date. You'll also get unlimited access to your estate plan so you can make changes at any time. Add or remove assets, change beneficiaries and update your liabilities throughout the year to keep your family protected.

Fast Access for Beneficiaries

With a paper will, beneficiaries have to sort through paperwork to find your estate planning documents. Locating your will can take days, halting the distribution process. The ClearEstate platform comes with a Vault ID that beneficiaries use to access your estate plan digitally in seconds. This eliminates stress and allows them to move forward.

Support for Estate Executors

Your estate executor handles the estate and distributes assets according to your wishes. You can nominate anyone as your executor, but if they've never handled a will before, they may need assistance to go through the process of settling your estate. ClearEstate offers online support for your executor so they don't have to handle it alone.

Contact ClearEstate Today

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with ClearEstate professionals today to learn more about estate planning. We'll answer your questions about taxes, probate, wills and other topics and discuss what ClearEstate can do for you.