Estate Planning
Wills & Trusts
Powers of Attorney
Medical Directives
Asset Protection
Trust & Estate Administration
Charitable Planning
We recognize that estate planning is not one-size-fits-all. Every family is different. Your plan should fit your family. That is why we take the time to get to know who you are and what is important to you before we make any planning recommendations.
Our Estate Planning Services
We believe in personalized service for every client. Our approach is educational and proactive – we first have a conversation with you to help determine your individual needs, desires, and values, and then tailor your plan to best fulfill your wishes.
Each of our estate plans includes a no-charge 5-year review to help ensure your estate plan keeps up with changes in your life and the law.
This helps ensure that your assets are owned correctly so that your plan works when it is needed most. Additionally, we review existing plans that may be out-of-date and handle all aspects of administration during a loved one’s incapacity or after his or her death.
We represent families throughout life. Some examples are:
- Traditional two-parent families or single parents wishing to provide for and protect their children and themselves;
- Unmarried couples who are either solidifying their relationship through proper planning or dissolving their relationship with the assistance of caring counsel;
- Blended families negotiating the challenges of creating new relationships with varying expectations;
- High net worth families seeking strategies for minimizing estate and income taxes and protecting their assets;
- Family business owners seeking ways to protect and expand their companies and considering how and when to transition to the next generation of ownership;
- Estate executors and beneficiaries navigating the court process of probate administration;
- Family members carrying out the legacy left behind through a trust administration;
- Executors, trustees and beneficiaries seeking to resolve conflicts; and
- Families and individuals raising caring children who want to leave a lasting legacy.
Click here to download our Estate Planning Worksheet.
We know that you want your family to inherit more than just your “stuff”. Inheritance focuses primarily on money and property. You want to leave your family a gift that will help them have a better life. Perhaps more importantly, a true legacy transfer has to do with deeper, more lasting issues including value, insights, stories, and experiences you have over a lifetime. Who you are and what is important to you . . . not just your financial assets.
A Family Legacy
We believe that each of us has been entrusted with special gifts and talents. Over the course of our lives we acquire an abundance of wisdom that needs to be shared and preserved. In a sense, we are obligated to stand up and share our history, our stories, our values, and our wishes and pass them on to future generations. We help the families we serve get past the barriers and take active steps to protect and pass on their legacies. Why? Because we believe that this can have a profound impact on many lives, even beyond your immediate family, and in ways that we may not have even thought possible.
Children
Making Sure They Are Raised by Who You Want, In the Way You Want We are specially equipped to meet the unique planning needs of families with minor children, to make sure their kids are cared for by people you want and in the way you want. Unlike traditional estate planning, which focuses on the needs of “older” people, we are attuned to the concerns of parents.
- We can counsel on issues such as choosing a guardian, how to best provide for long-term expenses, and those related to blended families.
- We also offer Child Protection Planning, which combines legal documentation with practical solutions to provide for the maximum protection of minor children.
After Life
When Your Planning is Tested When a loved one passes away, it is comforting to know that your family is in the hands of a trusted advisor. Whether you need help with a Trust Administration or a Probate, we will provide the care and legal guidance your family needs to get through this difficult time After the death of a loved one, it is hard to know where to start. Emotions are running high and it is difficult to think clearly. Every family faces its own unique challenges. More than ever, you need a lawyer that you are not only comfortable with, but one who will come alongside you with compassion and sensitivity. Legally, there are many things that must be done. We hold a preliminary meeting to gather all of the pertinent information and explain the process. Through our conversations we come to understand your family dynamics, your needs, and wishes. Based on what we learn in these conversations, we outline our recommendations, including all fees, deadlines, and responsibilities. We work with your family and the other advisors to transfer assets as quickly as possible, resolve outstanding issues, and ensure that all legal requirements are satisfied within the legal deadlines. You can rely on a calm and experienced advisor who will ease the stress and confusion and navigate the legal requirements with you. We also realize that grieving families are not at their best. The heightened emotions and stress during this time often threatens to pull them apart. Recognizing this, we work to help keep families together when they need each other the most.
Get In Touch
Call Us:
(616) 965-2221
Visit Us:
3140 Red Mill Ave SW
Grandville, MI 49418
Message Us:
office@baarlegal.com
How We Can Help
Business Law
Non-Profit
Civil Litigation
Elder Law
Estate Planning
Real Estate
