Estate Planning

Comprehensive Estate Planning Attorney Solutions

An estate plan is necessary for anyone who wants to control their inheritance. Assets include real estate, investments, and financial accounts, and the team at Wurtz Law Office specialize in estate planning services in Ripon and the Surrounding area. Whether you're looking to distribute cars, jewelry, artwork, or other valuables, our team has the knowledge and skills to ensure you feel confident in your estate planning. Wisconsin residents can even include their Packers tickets when planning their estate! Individuals and couples with children or grandchildren should have an estate plan to communicate their wishes for how and when their assets are distributed. Whether you have a small or large estate it is important that you have a plan for your future.

Wills & Trusts

A WILL is a document that directs the distribution of a deceased person's assets. It specifies the individual (the "personal representative" or executor) chosen by the testator to administer his or her estate. Additionally, a will names a "guardian" or the person who will raise minor children. 

A TRUST is a legal document whose primary objective is to avoid probate court proceedings. A trust specifies details such as when an individual will receive an asset. (For example, the person who makes the trust may decide not to give money to a beneficiary until he or she turns a certain age.) When assets are held in a trust, they are not administered by a court of probate. 

Marital Property Agreement

A marital property prenuptial agreement can be executed prior to or during the marriage. It is a document that assists in classifying the assets of a couple as "yours, mine, or ours." Then, when one partner dies, that person's property is handled separately from the other partner's property, so they don't get mixed up. 

Most people consider marital property agreements in the context of a divorce, but they are also incredibly valuable for estate planning. They are particularly crucial for couples with children from previous relationships. Without a marital property agreement, it might not be clear which assets should be handled by the deceased spouse's estate. 

Marital Property Contract — Ripon, WI — Wurtz Law Office

Powers of Attorney for Finance

A financial power of attorney is a document that allows a living individual to appoint another individual to manage his or her finances while the individual is still alive. The document can give the designated person permission to handle the maker's money when the maker tells them to or when the maker can no longer do so. The financial power of attorney lapses upon the decedent's passing. 

Power of Attorney for Healthcare/Living Will

With a healthcare power of attorney, a person directed by the maker has the legal authority to make medical decisions on behalf of the maker. A living will memorializes your desires for a dignified end of life.

Wurtz law office has streamlined this process by combining into one document.

Probate — Ripon, WI — Wurtz Law Office

Probate

With or without a will, probate court proceedings happen when a deceased person's assets can't be divided without help from the court. 

Probate will be needed if the person who died owned assets and no one has been named as the beneficiary. Assets can include things like life insurance, retirement accounts, bank accounts, or other types of money, as well as real estate or other things like cars, jewelry, etc. 

Probate court is typically regarded as the venue for resolving disputes between family members, heirs, and beneficiaries of an estate. It can include creditors and interested third parties. Guardianship of minors may also be included in the probate process. 

We're here to help! Simply call (920) 745-2800 to discuss your estate planning needs. 

Share by: