HOW WE WORK - ESTATE PLANNING

Mr. O’Brien realizes that clients are only raving fans if their estate plan lets them sleep at night. For most people, this means having confidence that all of the legal aspects of managing and transering their wealth will be handled with care if they are unable to act on important Family , business  or financial matters for any possible reason.

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One of the most important aspects of estate planning is funding the plan so that property sought to be protected under a trust, whether revocable or irrevocable, is subject to the terms of the trust. This area, as important as it is often is left for the client to handle. The client very often doesn't handle the funding and successor trustees are left scrambling at times when calm focus and deliberate action would be best.

Clients that use Gerard W. O’Brien’s Client Care Maintenance Program can update their plan in an economical way and do not have to worry about being nickeled and dimed when changes are warranted because of the passage of new laws, or a client’s health, finances or family relationships change. Gerard W. O’Brien & Associates is interested in creating a relationship with our clients rather then a “business transaction.” Each of our team members understands fully that the needs of your loved ones are resting on our performance.

I meet all clients in my office for our initial getting to know each other visit. We will introduce you to the office , our processes and systems. We will discuss your goals for you, your family, and your estate.

The second visit to our estate planning office will be to formalize our relationship and begin the process of estate planning. At this meeting we will consider various designs for your estate plan, raise and answer, if possible, questions you may have about the ongoing process of planning and managing a growing estate.

We will have as many meetings as are necessary to reach the level of understanding and confidence you deserve. We can conduct meetings via the internet and telephone. Technology provides us with exactly the same opportunities to discuss concerns, go over documents to make certain that your instructions are precise, clear, and exactly what you want.

PRACTICE AREAS

SENIORS AND THE LAW | You as a senior have many rights and with those rights, protections. You need to know what your rights are and you need to how and when to assert them. We can help you.

ESTATE PLANNING | Your successor Trustee wants to complete the process as quickly as possible, while minimizing family disharmony.

RETIREMENT PLANNING | Maximize the benefits you have earned while preserving transferability, stretch, principal.

HEALTH CARE DOCUMENTS | You need a power of attorney for health care, a HIPAA declaration, and a living will. Without them your preferences during incapacity will not be followed.

ASSET PROTECTION PLANNING | Keep your assets out of the hands of creditors, predators, and the public treasury, ethically and legally.

ESTATE & GIFT TAX PLANNING | Effective tax planning will not only lower income taxes while you’re alive by implementing optimal tax deferral and other strategies, but it will also free up cash for investment, business, or personal purposes.

POWERS OF ATTORNEY | Perhaps the most flexible tool in an estate plan most people including many attorneys do not understand what can be accomplished using this device.

BUSINESS PLANNING | From years of planning experience, we have developed a systematic process that is both practical and client-friendly.

CHARITABLE GIFT PLANNING | Most people work to better not only their family's situation but the community they live in and the world in which their community is a citizen. We will help you transfer values as well as assets. Perhaps the most flexible tool in an estate plan most people including many attorneys do not understand what can be accomplished using this device.

PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS | Some families and individuals are charitably minded and interested in directing their gifts to charities over an extended period of time. These people often find Foundations the right choice to accomplish this goal.