What You Need “To-Do” with Your Estate Plan, Elder Law Attorney, Woodstock, GA

Now that January has passed and you have hopefully gotten your beginning of the year business done, it is time to turn your attention to your estate plan and make sure that it is up to date.

Your estate plan should not be seen as a static document. You need to continuously monitor it to make sure it is up to date and accurately reflects your wishes. It is often suggested that you do so annually at a minimum.

For non-professionals, however, this can be challenging. Why? Because they do not know what all needs to be done.

Fortunately, the Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog recently published an article titled the “Estate Planning To-Do List.”

While the list is meant for estate attorneys, it contains important advice for non-professionals as well, including:

Make Exclusion Gifts Early – It is best to make any exclusion gifts early in the year for estate tax purposes just in case something happens to you during the year.
Fund Trusts – If there is anything you earned in the last year that is not part of your trust, make sure that you put it in the trust now.
Review Beneficiary Designations – Make sure all of your documents have the right beneficiaries.
Check Fiduciary Designations – Make sure all your fiduciaries are capable and willing to act in that capacity.

Of course, if you have any difficulties with any of the above, see an experienced estate planning attorney who can help you.

Reference: Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog (January 28, 2015) “Estate Planning To-Do List.”

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I heard Cindy’s presentation at a Senior Luncheon at my church, and was very impressed. She helped my daughter and me understand many aspects of elder law. Josh has also been very helpful in my planning to enter an independent living situation . I have told many friends about them.

- Charlotte

The very best elder law attorney and staff anyone could ever ask for! I have referred a number of clients to Cindy and she never disappoints. She is kind, caring, and extremely thorough in making sure everything is completed as it should be. I highly recommend Cindy for anyone needing lawyer services; she truly goes above and beyond for every client she helps and has had a huge impact in so many peoples’ lives. Thank you, Cindy and staff, for everything that you do- I’m so glad to know you!

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Cindy and the Nelson Elder Care Law team are trustworthy and helpful. They are the experts in elder care law. At Leaf Cremation, we entrust our families to the care of the Nelson team when their services are needed.

- Pierce

Josh Nelson, and his staff, have been amazingly helpful to our family. The ins and outs of nursing homes, the rules and regulations that govern Medicare and Medicaid are daunting and the folks at Nelson Elder Care Law have been informative, responsive, and above all, empathetic. I cannot emphasize enough how their service has taken a weight off of our shoulders especially during a world pandemic that has targeted nursing homes across our country. I highly recommend retaining Josh and his firm!

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I had a simple legal question to them that I needed answered and they very helpful in giving me the information I needed. I highly recommend them and will reach out to them if I need more advice or assistance. Thank you for taking your time to just answer a couple of questions I had!

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