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Massachusetts Trusts and Estates Attorney Helping You Plan

Preserving your family’s wealth for future generations
Whether you’re concerned about planning the parameters of your future medical care or establishing support for loved ones upon your death, Attorney Peterson can help you with all aspects of trusts and estates issues, including:
  • Estate planning
  • Estate tax issues
  • Choosing the appropriate executor, trustee,  guardian , health care agent, attorney in fact
  • Problems with beneficiaries
  • Guardianships
  • Health care proxies and living wills
  • Living trusts
  • Irrevocable trusts
  • Wills drafting
  • Durable Powers of Attorney
Securing your legacy
You work hard for your family, so knowing that you have planned for their long-term well-being and financial security can bring you comfort. Attorney Peterson thoroughly analyzes your circumstances and strategizes the best means of transferring your assets, minimizing taxes, establishing guardianship for your children, caring for your pets, supporting personal philanthropic causes and protecting your loved ones. This may include creating revocable, irrevocable or testamentary trusts, special needs trusts or recommending other options for avoiding probate.
Draft your health care proxy living will and durable power of attorney
Your health care proxy authorizes a person of your choice to make medical decisions when you are unable to do so. A living will may help set the parameters for medical intervention should you become incapacitated. This assures that when you are most vulnerable, your wishes will be honored. A durable power of attorney assures that someone you choose to trust can take charge of your affairs if you become unable to do so without the expense and delay of guardianship or conservatorship proceedings in probate court.

Draft your last will and testament

A will is essential at every stage of your life. Your will provides the opportunity to distribute your property, establish care for your minor or disabled children and spouse and otherwise express your wishes upon your death. A will may be necessary if you intend to leave property to a person or entity other than a blood relative, such as a domestic partner, a friend or a charity. It may also be necessary if you wish to disinherit someone who would inherit your property if you were to die without a will. If you die without a will, and haven’t arranged to avoid probate, state laws mandate exactly how your property is distributed and the courts decide who cares for your children and even what happens to your pet —rendering results that might not reflect your desires. We can draft valid wills that ensure your intentions are honored and recommend other options to accomplish your desires.
Changing your will or revocable trust
As your life changes, so will your estate planning goals.  Like most people you may need to update your will or revocable trust throughout your life. We draft valid codicils to wills and trust amendments that reflect these changes in your financial situation, marital status, number of children or events in their lives, family relationships, philanthropic interests and general lifestyle decisions, or even your philosophical outlook on all of this.
Appointment of guardians
If you have minor children, your will allows you to make decisions about their future care. This is especially crucial if you are a single parent or if both parents die in a common incident. If you do not name a guardian, the court will appoint a guardian for your children and can make decisions adverse to your ultimate parenting goals. You can also make arrangements for your pets’ care in your will, including naming a guardian to take responsibility for your pets. You may also be able to nominate guardians for adult disabled children and a disabled spouse and appoint standby/temporary guardians for your children if they are going to be left in someone’s care while you are away.
Contact a knowledgeable and experienced estate planning lawyer you can trust, Attorney Douglas R. Peterson.
For estate planning services in East Longmeadow, Springfield and throughout Massachusetts, call Douglas R. Peterson Attorney at Law at 413-525-3222 or contact us online to schedule an initial consultation.WARNING AND DISCLAIMER ABOUT E-MAIL: If you choose to communicate with us by e-mail, your e-mail will not create an attorney-client relationship and can not be treated as privileged or confidential. For this reason you should not send any sensitive or confidential information by e-mail. Moreover, because the Internet is by no means a secure environment, it is possible that your e-mail sent via the Internet might be intercepted and read by third parties. Unless you specify otherwise in your e-mail, you will be deemed to have authorized a response from us by e-mail.