LaFortune & LaFortune
Attorneys at Law
Phone: 978-475-6177
Family Law
Estate Planning
Wills / Trusts
Business Law
Trials in All Courts
Real Estate Law
I have read the Disclaimer
Your Legal Matter...
LaFortune & LaFortune Law Office  |   89 Main Street   |   Andover, MA 01810   |   978-475-6177   |   978-475-6953 (fax)
Estate planning is planning for passing on one's wealth when you die. It may seem as though this is fairly common or fairly obvious, but many people ignore the need to properly plan. As a result, they may create serious problems for themselves and their heirs.

There are state succession laws, but these laws can be inadequate to address the myriad issues that can occur without a will in order to provide for orderly disposition of assets.

Some considerations are:

  • The disposition of your estate is a decision you and not the state
  should make.

  • There may be a special bequest or gift that you want to make.

  • Setting up Debt Satisfaction

  • Protect a surviving spouse with a marital trust to shelter at least two
  million dollars of assets from federal and Massachusetts estate
  taxes.

  • Planning for succession in a family business can avoid costly and
  bitter family disputes.

  • Protecting your assets in the event you require nursing home care.

These are only a few of the issues that estate planning addresses. The complexity and sophistication of estate planning is dependent on the amount of assets as well as personal needs, goals and desires.

Estate planning is also for the living. Many people who come to us when there is an emergency could have qualified for health care and avoided or minimized estate taxes if they had planned properly. Long term care insurance or a trust are important components of estate planning. It is essential to avoid the costs associated with circumstances where an illness or accident requires long term care. Long term care planning can protect assets from economic devastation if you require permanent housing in a nursing facility.

It is also important to protect your interests with unanticipated problems, an all too common occurrence in this fast-paced world in which we live. You want and need competent legal protection, an understanding of your rights, and the expert legal help from a Massachusetts or New Hampshire attorney who understands estate law and will help protect estates that can represents a lifetime of effort for many families.
Estate & Tax Planning