Estate Planning is a Team Sport

Stop and think for a moment about all of the professionals in your life that you consult on a regular basis. Most of us could name at least five people from whom we frequently seek advice and guidance. Here are a few:

• Physician
• Accountant
• Insurance agent
• Attorney
• Financial planner
• Real estate agent
• Pharmacist

No matter how many professionals we associate with, one thing is certain – they all need to be on the same page. Imagine going to the doctor for a pain in your toe. The doctor assesses the situation and prescribes you a specific medication that will alleviate the pain. But when you take the prescription to the pharmacy, the pharmacist decides you should take a completely different medication. This seems like an absurd hypothetical because we know this would never happen, right?

Estate planning cannot be done in a vacuum. Anything a client does with his or her estate plan can have an effect on what needs to be done with his or her financial planner, accountant, or insurance agent. Estate planning is a team sport. We all need to work together to achieve the same goal – whether than goal be creating asset protection, having enough insurance in the case of a death, or filing the proper tax return.

Unfortunately, we have seen the consequences of clients acting on conflicting information from their professional advisors. This ultimately causes a disruption in a well-designed plan. At MH we welcome the opportunity to work with any professionals you already have in your life and want to create a plan that works well for you not only in the short-term, but for the rest of your life. Just like a team, we win when you win.

Morris Hall Can Protect You in Today’s Litigious Society:
We live in a litigious society, where over 1 million lawsuits are filed every year in America alone.  Financial predators are looking for ways to take funds from others and often use litigation as their means to do so.  At Morris Hall we provide your assets and your loved ones with important protections that can prevent financial predators from taking advantage of you.  We do this through proper and current estate planning techniques.  With an MH living trust, we can also protect your property, assets and loved ones from probate, estate taxes, gift taxes, creditors, Medicaid spend-down, conservatorship or guardianship proceedings, ex-spouses and more.  A living trust also keeps your asset and beneficiary information private and secure to avoid giving financial predators information to use against you and your family.  Without a living trust, this information will be made public.  For those living in Arizona, we serve the areas of Phoenix, Mesa, Gilbert, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, Cave Creek, Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, Tucson, Sonoita, Arrowhead, Avondale, Goodyear and Tempe.  In New Mexico we serve the areas of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, White Rock, Alamogordo, Truth or Consequences and more.  Contact us today at 888.222.1328 to schedule an appointment with an attorney in your area!

This blog should be used for informational purposes only.  It does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader and should not be construed as legal advice.  If you need legal advice, please contact an attorney in your community who can assess the specifics of your situation.