Delaware Estate Planning & Probate Law Attorneys

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Planning your estate is an essential stepping-stone of life. We understand discussing the end is an uncomfortable conversation, but it is very necessary. People who don’t prepare for the end leave their families vulnerable to emotionally biased decision-making, interfamilial discourse, and even legal actions. If the state of Delaware is held responsible to allocate assets, your vision for the estate will most likely not come to fruition. We always recommend that you make a plan with the assistance of an attorney to make sure your wishes come true. Attorneys at Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C. are compassionate professionals who want to make a personal connection with their clients and ease everyone through this difficult dialogue.

To be prepared, you should consider making a living will, assign powers of attorney, and pick a health care proxy. Planning your estate relieves your family of the undue stress and the avoidable grief of handling your assets during an already emotional time. You have a vision for your estate. It is important to think ahead and attorneys at Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C. are here to assist you through your estate planning matter.

If you are starting the process of estate planning in Delaware, you should consider making a living will and picking an executor as soon as possible. A will is a legally binding document detailing the wishes of the deceased in regard to allocating their assets to family and friends. If you want a specific person to receive a specific item from your estate, a will’s purpose is to direct who gets what items. The executor of a will is responsible to gather and distribute the assets of the deceased. The executor is also responsible to pay debts from the estate when appropriate. Disregarding any bias or emotions, the executor of the will has the legal responsibility to follow your directions.

A power of attorney is a crucial document in estate planning and should be considered as soon as possible. In Delaware, the power of attorney document allows the agent of your choosing the right to act in your place. Durable powers of attorney are imperative to allow the agent to make decisions on your behalf if you are ever mentally incapacitated. You should name a trusted person to have power of attorney. That person will be able to make financial and medical decisions on your behalf. We recommend that you add an attachment to the power of attorney document where the agent can acknowledge their responsibilities, rights, and duties.

In Delaware, if you are not able to answer for yourself during medical care, a chosen healthcare proxy will speak on your behalf and make decisions for you. We recommend you choose a healthcare proxy for emergencies, surgery, and any other time you are unable to speak due to medical treatment, a health care proxy acts on your explicit directions. You should notify your health insurance, the person you chose, and anyone else who should know what person was chosen. This person will direct your end-of-life care, so choose someone who will objectively follow your wishes.

Estate planning is too important to avoid. Everyone should be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and it is best not to avoid the topic. Speak with an experienced estate law attorney at Mattleman, Weinroth & Miller, P.C. to ease your mind and have your assets allocated according to your wishes. Our compassionate attorneys are ready to support you through this difficult conversation and ease your mind about the future. Call us for a consultation.