Incapacity Archives - GP Schoemakers, PLLC

Declare Your Independence from Court Interference!

While the rest of the nation celebrates its independence on July 4th, you can rest assured that you too can declare independence for your family — from court interference. Life can be unpredictable. Whether it is a financial issue, the birth or adoption of a child, sickness or incapacity, it is important to be prepared with proper estate planning. In fact, failure to put together a comprehensive estate plan can leave you and your loved ones at the mercy of the court when it comes to distributing assets or caring for a minor or sick family member. Estate Planning Basics [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T19:18:32+00:00July 4th, 2018|Categories: Estate Planning, wwPROBATE|Tags: Estate Plan, Incapacity, Minor Children, Probate, Tips, Trust, Wills|0 Comments

Not Just Death and Taxes: 5 Essential Legal Documents You Need for Incapacity Planning

Comprehensive estate planning is more than your legacy after death, avoiding probate, and saving on taxes. Good estate planning includes a plan in place to manage your affairs if you become incapacitated during your life and can no longer make decisions for yourself. What happens without an incapacity plan? Without a comprehensive incapacity plan in place, your family will have to go to court to get a judge to appoint a guardian or conservator to take control of your assets and health care decisions. This guardian or conservator will make all personal and medical decisions on your behalf as part [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T20:12:15+00:00February 5th, 2018|Categories: Estate Planning|Tags: Financial Power of Attorney, Healthcare POA, HIPAA, Incapacity, Living Will, Tips, Trust|0 Comments

Year End Estate Planning Tip #3 – Check Your Mental Disability Plan

With the end of the year fast approaching, now is the time to fine tune your estate plan before you get caught up in the chaos of the holiday season. One area of planning that many people overlook is making sure their mental disability plan is up to date. Three Areas of Your Mental Disability Plan That Are Likely Out of Date If your estate plan is more than a few years old, then your mental disability plan is likely out of date for the following reasons: Are your health care directives compliant with HIPAA? While the federal Health Insurance [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T19:47:14+00:00October 16th, 2014|Categories: Estate Planning|Tags: Disability, HIPAA, Incapacity, POA|0 Comments

Does Your Revocable Living Trust Reduce Your Estate Tax Bill?

Many people believe that once they set up and fund a revocable living trust, property held in the trust will avoid estate taxes after they die. In reality, this may or may not be true depending on your choice of beneficiaries and the terms written into your trust agreement. Single Trustmakers and Estate Taxes If you’re single and you create and fund a revocable living trust, all of your assets held in the trust will be subject to estate taxes after you die if your beneficiaries are individuals. In other words, if your beneficiaries are your children, your brothers and [...]

By Gratia P. Schoemakers, Esq.|2021-09-21T19:47:45+00:00September 15th, 2014|Categories: Estate Planning|Tags: Beneficiaries, Incapacity, Privacy, Probate, Tax, Trust, Will|0 Comments