Company Title

Estate Planning

Estate planning begins with an evaluation your assets and a review of previous estate planning. How are your assets titled? Who has been named as a beneficiary on your life insurance and retirement benefits? What college investment plans have you established for younger generations? Have you named who you want to make decisions if you were to become incapacitated? We also consider your income needs, lifetime goals, desires for the care of a children in your absence, the level of creditor and asset protection you require and what you would like to leave to specific beneficiaries.

After discussing your overall objectives and concerns, we devise a plan to achieve your goals and avoid any pitfalls, while considering how to make sure your assets pass to your intended heirs and minimize state and federal taxes. We will help you make decisions regarding guardians for minor children and trusts for preservation of assets. Once we develop a proposed plan, we make sure you understand the plan and that it meets your goals.

Once you approve the plan, we go to work creating the documents and structures that the plan requires. The plan may be nothing more than a simple will, or may be a complex estate plan including tax-favored trusts, a special needs trust, family limited partnerships, business transitioning, or a combination of these and other asset-restructuring methods.

The estate planning process may not end with signing documents and making the necessary asset transfers. We also provide ongoing assistance by assisting executors, administrators, and trustees in dealing with difficult and complex estate issues, as well as post-mortem tax planning and probate. We can also make any annual gifts specified in your estate plan.

For more information, visit our information pages on the following topics:

Estate Planning after Marriage or Divorce

Estate Planning Definitions

Estate Planning Resources

Incapacity Planning

Probate

Tax Planning

Trusts

Wills

 NEW CLIENTS:

If you wish to speak to our office regarding legal services, please contact one of our Client Relations Specialists.

Portland Office (serving Portland and the Coast):
Karen Wood (503) 222-9115 or karen@stahancyk.com

Central Oregon Office:
Shana Sellers (541) 318-9115 or shana@stahancyk.com

Vancouver Office (serving all of SW Washington):
Karen Wood (503) 222-9115 or karen@stahancyk.com.

For general questions and information: info@stahancyk.com

Please do not send us confidential information specific to your situation. Unsolicited information sent to our office via e-mail does not create an attorney - client relationship and is not confidential.

At Stahancyk, Kent & Hook, P.C., we can counsel you in how to avoid taxes, ensure that your beneficiaries receive distributions as you intended, and give you peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out during your lifetime and beyond.