(Newswire.net — January 6, 2015) Layton, Utah — Every year folks are both excited and depressed as they contemplate resolutions for the upcoming new year. Getting healthy, serving in the community, finally writing that book are all goals people may have set and yet there is one goal that should be high on the list, maybe even number 1.
Nielsen Consulting in partnership with Strongbrook have noticed a trend in both their client’s nationally and the general public’s New Year’s Resolutions; that a lion’s share of attention has been placed on physical fitness alone and almost zero focus has been allocated to finances beyond getting out of debt or buying the next iphone.
In a recent survey nearly 50% of participants acknowledged that general health goals were their main priorities this year. That places protecting assets and family in the bottom 10% in case the unthinkable happens.
Even though people understand that an unexpected death of a primary breadwinner could completely devastate their families’ financial future while ruining plans and opportunities they still have no idea what to do about it or even where to start. If you need help with your estate planning, let an experienced estate planning lawyer at Giles & Robinson, P.A. help you.
Estate planning is often akin to phrases like “taxes” or the “Internal Revenue Service” which raise feelings of fear and confusion. Joe Nielsen of Nielsen Consulting says that one reason he notices why people resist seeking out estate planning services is because it often entails many hours of consultation with an attorney which people know can be very expensive, time consuming, and confusing.
Ask any number of people on the street if they want the courts and government cashing in on their life’s work while leaving nothing for their loved ones and the response is a unanimous, “NO”. But that’s exactly what hundreds of millions of Americans will face when they pass on due to the simple and often alarming fact that they don’t have an estate plan in place to take care of their assets.
Mark Kohler a founding partner attorney with Stongbrook Estate Plans says, “Estate planning is essential for every individual or couple no matter the size of their estate in order to avoid probate and a host of other legal burdens that follow death”. He believes it is something every person should have, he also understands the need for affordability and flexiblibily to allow for individual customization.
Nielsen Consulting in partnership with Strongbrook is proud to offer their clients an entirely online cloud based patent-pending technology which guides people in a simple, step-by-step process allowing them to put their entire estate plan together with all supporting documents usually in less than 90 minutes.
Most attorneys fees which include, consultations, document preparation and drafting, and any other needful service will run the average married couple more than $6,000 and countless hours spent in commuting to and sitting in the attorney’s office.
“Estate planning is not created equal”, says Joe Nielsen. He goes onto caution, “Typically you will find firms enticing customers with low prices but they don’t disclose that the advertised price only reflects one document and then they upsell or charge more for each piece going forward”.
Nielsen Consulting believes in education first that’s why they include free vidoes explaining each aspect of a complete estate plan. Offering a flat fee for an entire estate plan Nielsen and Kohler believe their services are simply the best value. One of the big mistakes people make is believing they have an estate plan simply because they have a will. “That simply isn’t the case.”, says Nielsen. A will is only one of the documents in a quality estate plan.
Those with large estates of more than $5.5 million need to consider a plan in order to avoid unnecessary and burdensome state taxes where applicable. Everyone, including those with small estates would like to avoid court imposed probate and should consider a complete plan, says Nielsen.
What kinds of information should people be prepared with going into this process? Nielsen and Kohler suggest: deeds of real property owned, business entity documents, marriage and birth certificates, financial and retirement account documentation, names of family members who will be included or receive benefits from the plan, charities who you wish to donate to, your last wishes upon entering into a hospital or hospice etc.
“Finally you don’t have to be fearful of the cost or complexity about getting your estate plan”, Kohler says.