Recent News
The second major change relates only to married couples. In the past, the surviving spouse had 9 months to make an election regarding the estate tax. The new law that was passed at the end of 2010 now allows the surviving spouse to carry over the deceased spouse\'s exemption for the surviving spouse\'s life. Delaying the election can be beneficial or harmful depending on the value of the estate and the subsequent changes to the estate tax laws before the second spouse passes away. In either case, consulting with a professional estate planner can help you properly plan how to manage your estate and minimize the estate tax liability to you.
Bad News:
These laws are temporary and are only effective until December 31, 2012. On January 1, 2013, the estate tax limit will drop to $1 million and the estate tax limit will go up to 50 percent or greater unless Congress changes the law. Given the debt of the country, it is unknown what Congress will do with the estate tax laws before January 1, 2013.
Check back on a regular basis to see what if any changes have occurred during the coming two years.
Welcome
At the Law Office of Douglas L. Edgar, our clients come first. Every client is treated with courtesy and is guaranteed to have all work personalized to their individual needs. At our office, we do not draft one set of documents for all of our clients. It is our philosophy to treat you as a friend and spend the necessary time with EACH client to make sure that we understand your needs and desires for your planning and future.
You do not spend time with the staff answering questions who then fill out paperwork for you and then draft the documents. We do not have a set of five or six estate planning kits and try and fit you into one of these models. You spend hours with the attorney discussing your needs, hopes, and desires of how you want your plans drafted.
Even after you have discussed your choices and decisions with the attorney, you do not come in to just sign the documents that have been drafted for you. You are given rough drafts of the documents and to review them and make sure they are drafted the way you wanted them. Not sure you understand certain wording, NO PROBLEM. You can call the attorney or come in for a personal visit to discuss all of your questions. How much extra for this service? NOTHING. Because we charge you a flat fee for most documents, you can call to discuss your concerns or even come in and discuss the documents with the attorney for no additional charges.
Why would we spend so much time with you, our client? Because too many "trust mills" and attorneys look at estate planning as a quick way to make a fee dollars. To do this, these people must keep the time the attorney works on the documents or spends with the client to a minimum. HOWEVER, we think you, the client, deserve to have your documents explained to your satisfaction BEFORE you sign them.
Would you sign a mortgage without making sure the terms were correct? Would you sign a purchase agreement for a new car without making sure it was accurate? Of course not! Why should signing documents drafted by an attorney be any different? The answer is that they should not be and that is why we provide you with rough drafts to review and discuss with us BEFORE we ask you sign them. Would you expect anything different from a friend?
We give you personalized service at "trust mill" prices.