ESTATE PLANNING AND TRUST ADMINISTRATION SERVICESSAFEGUARDING YOUR WEALTH AND PROTECTING YOUR FAMILYAt Creative Planning, we recognize that wealth preservation plays as important a part in a client’s financial plan as wealth accumulation. Few firms can match our experience and capabilities in employing customized estate planning strategies to ensure our client’s wishes for their family and assets are fulfilled. From simple plans to protect assets from creditors and eliminate the need for probate, to intricate techniques for safeguarding wealth across multiple generations, our team of specialists can design and implement the right strategies to meet every need.
Our areas of expertise include:

• Wills
• Durable powers of attorney
• Health-care powers of attorney
• Living wills
• Revocable living trusts
• Irrevocable trusts
• Life insurance trusts
• Charitable trusts
• Foundations
• Probate
• Trust termination
• Estate planning
• Gift tax planning
• Business incorporation/LLCs
• Buy-sell agreements
• Business succession planning
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Real estate transactions
• Marital agreements
• Testamentary trust design

Our in-house legal expertise coupled with our financial planning-led strategic investment approach delivers a comprehensive holistic wealth management experience for our clients.
  
TRUST ADMINISTRATION SERVICESWhen creating a trust, the choice of a trustee – the person or entity responsible for managing the trust assets and handling distributions to beneficiaries – is an important decision. Many individuals wish to spare their friends or family this burden, or they wish to maintain professional oversight of their financial legacy. Creative Planning’s trust administration services allow our clients to fulfill this wish. We offer services including trust administration, accounting, recordkeeping, tax reporting and compliance, distributions and settlement.
We can meet our clients’ needs for:

At Creative Planning, we have the resources and capabilities to ensure your exact wishes are met, both today and for generations to come.
 

Estate planning creates a master plan for the management of your property during life and the distribution of that property at death.
For most people, estate planning will:

• Give you more control over your assets during your life
• Provide care when you are disabled
• Allow for the transfer of wealth to whom you want, when you want, at the lowest possible cost

Common estate planning issues addressed in the wealth management process include:

• The transfer of wealth
• The minimization of transfer taxes
• Asset protection
• Charitable giving

Wealth transfer planning involves the smooth transition and distribution of wealth according to your wishes.  With proper estate planning, you decide to whom, how, and when your assets will be distributed, as well as who will manage your estate or business.  Special issues you may deal with are providing financial security for others, planning for children of a previous marriage, equalizing inheritances fairly, and retiring from you business.  Wealth transfer planning also involves the management of assets during disability or incapacity.

A major goal of estate planning is to minimize potential taxes without interfering with your other financial goals.  If you give away wealth, during life or at death, you may incur federal—and possibly state—taxes.  You can help protect the assets you transfer from excessive depletion by understanding these taxes and the various strategies you can use to minimize them.
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If you own substantial assets, creditor protection can be a concern.  Creditors can come in many forms.  An asset protection plan first identifies potential exposure and then identifies preventative tools and strategies to reduce exposure.  Asset protection planning deals with ownership issues, liability insurance, statutory protections, special needs trusts, offshore and domestic trusts, prenuptial agreements, divorce, and business dissolutions.
Charitable giving is motivated by both personal and tax incentives.  Congress encourages charitable giving through tax legislation that can minimize your income and estate taxes.  Charitable planning involves selecting the gifted property and charitable structure that will target your needs.Estate planning creates a master plan for the management of your property during life and the distribution of that property at death.