Great Resource for Estate Planning Information

EstatePlanning.com™ is a service provided by The WealthCounsel Companies, a nationwide collaborative of estate planning attorneys and wealth planning professionals who are dedicated to providing the best planning possible for American families.

Members of The WealthCounsel Companies are committed to client-centered estate planning  and wealth management.  This approach benefits you because it facilitates collaboration with your entire team of professional wealth advisors.  That's why we encourage you to insure that all of your wealth planning professionals (attorney, insurance agent, financial advisor, CPA, etc.) are effectively communicating and working in unison to support your long-term planning goals.

EstatePlanning.com provides you with objective, plain-English resources you need to answer your estate planning questions . . . and to help you better understand estate planning and the estate planning process. EstatePlanning.com can also connect you with an estate planning professional in your geographic area, if you’re so inclined.

A common misperception is that estate planning is about planning for your death.  Our goal with this service is to help Americans understand that estate planning is so much more.  Estate planning is making a plan in advance and naming whom you want to receive the things you own after you die.

Top 10 Reasons Why ALL Americans Need an Estate Plan 

1. Include instructions for passing your values in addition to your valuables.
2. Include instructions for your care if you become disabled before you die.
3. Name a guardian and an inheritance manager for minor children.
4. Include life insurance to provide for your family at your death; disability income insurance to replace your income if you cannot work due to illness or injury; and long-term care insurance to help pay for your care in case of an extended illness or injury.
5. Avoid chaos and discord among beneficiaries.
6. Provide for family members with special needs without disrupting government benefits.
7. Provide for loved ones who might be irresponsible with money or who may need future protection from creditors or divorce.
8. Provide for the transfer of your business at your retirement, disability or death.
9. Minimize taxes, court costs, and unnecessary legal fees.
10. Be an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Your plan should be reviewed and updated as your family and financial situations (and laws) change over your lifetime.

We hope you find these resources helpful.  To find a wealth planning professional who believes in this philosophy as strongly as you do, please click on the “Find an Estate Planner” link at the top right of the EstatePlanning.com website.

Original Source: http://www.estateplanning.com/about/