Ensuring Your Final Wishes Are Respected

When creating an estate plan, the primary goals are to transfer your assets and handle your end-of-life care according to your wishes. There are many considerations involved in the creation of an estate plan, and there are numerous potential errors and pitfalls that could complicate things. If you want to ensure that your wishes are respected, it is critical to create an estate plan that will clearly communicate those wishes and will be legally viable in the estate administration process.

At Palange, Endres & Marks, P.C., our experienced attorneys help clients with wills, powers of attorney and living wills. These are the essential documents that will communicate your wishes to your loved ones in your later years and after you have passed on. Serving clients in Reading, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding areas, our lawyers provide efficient estate planning services backed by experience.

The Essential Documents

Many documents are available as tools for establishing an estate plan. In many cases, a complete plan can be achieved through a will, power of attorney and living will:

• A will provides for the distribution of your property and, if necessary, includes provisions for the care of your minor children. If you do not have a will at the time of your death, your property will be distributed according to the intestate laws of Pennsylvania, which may cause unwanted circumstances for your survivors. An existing will should be reviewed whenever you undergo a major life change, such as the birth of a child, divorce or retirement.
• A power of attorney appoints another person as your agent to manage your affairs and act on your behalf when you are either physically or mentally unable to do so. Your agent is obligated to make decisions and use your money and property only for your benefit.
• A living will, also known as a health care directive, is a written document that allows you to state which medical treatments you do or do not want to receive during a terminal illness. A living will only takes effect when you are incapacitated and can no longer communicate and allows you to name a surrogate to express your wishes on your behalf.

Estate Planning Help From Experienced Lawyers

At Palange, Endres & Marks, P.C., we assist clients across central Pennsylvania with concerns related to estate planning. We can review your situation to advise on accounting and tax consequences of your current documents or help with the actual drafting of documents.

Schedule an appointment with a wills and estate lawyer helping people in Reading, Wyomissing and other areas of Berks County. Call us at 610-674-0712 or toll-free at 800-634-1983. Or send us an email using our secure online form.