Cynthia Leach

Accountant & Estate Planner

• Introduction to Estate Planning
• How Property is Transferred
• How Much Do You Own?
• The Financial Planning Process

Chapter 2: Estate Planning Documents

• Wills
• Durable Power of Attorney
• Living Wills
• Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care

Chapter 3: Estate Taxes

• Estate Tax Liability

Chapter 4: Trusts

• Using Trusts in Estate Planning
• Implementing a Trust
• Establishing a Living Trust
• Selecting a Trustee

Chapter 5: Recordkeeping

• The Estate Planning Recordkeeper

Chapter 6: Coping with Death

• When Someone You Love Dies
• Probate: Distributing the Assets
• Final Tax Returns

Chapter 7: Questions and Answers About Estate Planning

• Discussing Estate Planning with Your Parents
  
  
  • My parents are in their seventies. How do I discuss their need for estate planning with them?

• Wills and Other Estate Planning Documents
  
  
  • I am going to see an attorney about preparing new wills for my spouse and me. What should we do to prepare for that meeting?
  • What types of questions might the attorney ask in our first meeting?
  • My wife and I do not want to leave our assets to our children in the same way. Can our wills address these differences?
  • Do I have to name my spouse as the executor of my estate? As my agent in my power of attorney?
  • Where should my estate planning documents be kept?
  • I want each of my children to have one of the family heirlooms. Should I list these in my will?
  • I want to leave specific instructions about my funeral. Whom do I tell and how?
  • My spouse and I just moved into our new home from another state. Do we need to reconsider our wills and other estate planning documents?
  • My spouse and I placed our assets in a living trust several years ago. After one of us dies, can the survivor change the distribution of assets in the living trust?
    
    
• Probate
  
  
  • What does "going through probate" mean?
  • How much does the probate process cost?
  • How long does the probate process take?
  • Do I have to use an attorney to probate a will?
  • Does the court control my estate during probate?
  • Who has the right to know about the assets in my estate?
  • If I have a living trust, do I have to have a will and file it with the probate court?
  • My brother recently passed away, and I have been named as the executor of his will. The will is to be probated soon, and I have decided that I do not want to serve as executor. What can I do?
    
    
• Special Assets
  
  
  • Will any of my assets require special attention in estate planning?
  • Most of my estate consists of my life insurance and retirement benefits (pension, 401(k) plan, and IRA) provided by my employer. How does estate planning affect these assets?
  • What is an irrevocable life insurance trust, and how can it save estate taxes?

Glossary

Checklist for use when a loved one dies.