Estate plans are a necessary step to getting your affairs in order. Many people see estate planning as a way to protect your family. However, even with no children, you can still benefit from estate planning techniques. For example, estate planning allows you to designate who receives your property after death instead of leaving it up to intestacy laws or the state laws that govern estate distribution for people who die without wills. Furthermore, you still need to choose certain individuals to help handle your affairs and make decisions for you when you can no longer do so.
A Florida estate planning lawyer from Kramer, Green, Zuckerman, Greene & Buchsbaum, P.A. stands ready to help you create a comprehensive estate plan that meets your needs. Contact our office today to schedule a time to meet with us and discuss four essential estate planning concerns for people without children.
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Decide If There Are People to Whom You Want to Leave a Portion of Your Estate
Just because you have no children doesn’t mean that you don’t have other relatives or close friends to whom you may want to leave all or a portion of your estate. For instance, you may have nieces or nephews you consider your children. You also may have friends and neighbors who fill those roles. In addition, you may have a long-time significant other you wish to support financially following your death. Whatever the case may be, you can make arrangements for these individuals through the estate planning process. Otherwise, you risk state law governing which of your relatives receive your estate after your death, which may not be what you intended.
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Choose Any Charitable Causes and Organizations that You Wish to Support Through Your Estate
If you have no children, you may wish to leave all or a portion of your estate to certain causes or charitable organizations that you care about most. You can make charitable donations to specific funds or charities to illustrate your devotion or support to various causes. Without an estate plan, no portion of your estate will go to the causes you care about.
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Select a Personal Representative to Handle Your Estate
If you have no children, you still need someone to handle your estate following your death. This individual may be a trustworthy friend or relative, or you may need a company to fill this role. Your estate planning attorney can guide you through this decision-making process and ensure that you choose the appropriate persons or entities to handle your estate.
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Designate a Person to Handle Medical and Financial Decisions When You Are Unable to Do So
In the absence of children, you may want to designate a trusted relative or friend to make decisions for you if you become incapacitated and you are no longer able to do so. You may choose different people to handle your medical and financial decisions, or you may be comfortable with the same person fulfilling both roles. You also may want to designate more than one person to make decisions for you jointly. You can also make their job easier by clearly expressing your wishes about the healthcare and life-sustaining services you wish to receive or not receive under specific circumstances.
Contact Kramer, Green, Zuckerman, Greene & Buchsbaum, P.A. to Create Your Individualized Estate Plan
A Florida estate planning attorney can provide the services you need to create and periodically update the comprehensive estate plan that best meets your needs. In addition, we can help you take the steps necessary to help your heirs avoid the costs and delays inherent in probate administration. Nonetheless, should probate proceedings become necessary, we also offer the full range of probate services.
We have the experience you need when working through complex legal problems related to estate planning, estates, and probate. First, call us at (954) 966-2112 or learn more about our legal services online. Then, schedule an appointment to speak with us about your legal needs immediately.