Estate is the legal term used to define your property and money—basically, everything that belongs to you. You don’t have to consider yourself rich to have an estate or to need estate planning. As an estate planning attorney, I inform you about different strategies you can use to transfer your belongings after you pass away. By planning your estate, you can maximize its value, minimize taxes and eliminate court costs and interference. After you decide upon the plan you want, I write the appropriate documents that allow you to transfer property and money to children, charities or others when and how you choose. I also help you protect your estate during your lifetime if you were to suffer a mental disability (car accident, stroke, dementia or old age) and you can no longer properly handle your financial affairs.

How Can I Help?

The mission of the Carlson Law Office is to help you create a thoughtful and comprehensive estate plan concerning what happens to you and your family if you’re incapacitated and when you pass away. You can choose now to set your family’s course intelligently, knowingly and purposefully. By doing so, you can design and implement the best plan to achieve your goals, help your family, reduce or eliminate your concerns, and give yourself some peace of mind.

Being proactive when it comes to your estate is key to leaving your family less stressed. If you’re not prepared, you may have to settle with Colorado’s default intestate plan, which is not in your spouse’s or children’s best interest.  As an estate planning attorney, I will help you:

• Learn what you need to know about the pros and cons of wills and trusts.
• Learn what happens to your family if you become mentally incapacitated or when you pass away.
• Learn about a planning process to help you identify your important goals and the legacy you most want to leave behind.
• Learn intelligent, strategic, creative and practical options to empower you to make informed decisions about leaving your legacy.
• Receive friendly and professional legal advice.
• Design customized solutions with a comprehensive estate plan to meet the needs of you and your family.
• Provide asset management for you and honor your financial and health decisions if a lifetime mental incapacity occurs caused by stroke, dementia or accident.
• Select trustees for adult children and guardians for underage or disabled children.
• Protect some of your assets while you are alive and after you leave them to family and/or charity.
• Avoid delays, such as the six-months or longer probate process, court costs and associated attorney fees.
• Retain privacy and avoid exposing your estate information to public record.
• Ensure that your values and beliefs have an impact on your children and the community.
• Implement and fund your plan to achieve your goals, needs and circumstances.
• Reduce or eliminate taxes, including income taxes and estate taxes whenever possible.
• Reduce your concerns about the future for your spouse and children.
• Distribute your assets to whom you want, when you want, and in the way you want—all in the best interests of your spouse and children.
• Obtain peace of mind because you have taken the necessary and loving steps to plan for the future in a way that will enhance the lives of your children and grandchildren.