Comprehensive estate planning covers nearly every aspect of life. It begins with protecting yourself and your personal dignity, and extends to protecting your loved ones and your hard-earned assets.
Follow the links below to learn more about the services provided at Law Office of Jerry Reif:
There are many legal strategies involved in estate planning, including wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, and health care documents.
Learn more about the Estate Planning process.
Probate and estate administration are the processes through which estate assets are transferred after death. Assets to be transferred under terms of a will go through probate. Assets transferred outside of a will, such as by operation of law, or those planned for in a trust are handled through an Administration process. Administration also refers to the process whereby assets are transferred by rules of the state when there is no will. We can help make the process easier, more efficient, and provide peace of mind during a difficult time.
Learn more about Probate and Estate & Trust Administration.
Elder law is another aspect of estate planning, focusing primarily on the needs of families and individuals as they age. Issues of aging include senior housing and home care, long-term (or nursing home) care, guardianships and health care documents, Medicare and Medicaid.
Learn more about planning for Long-Term Care.
Asset protection planning involves making prudent decisions today to protect yourself, your business, and your hard-earned assets from loss due to lawsuits, creditors or bankruptcies.
Find out how we can help you protect your assets today.
Your farm is likely your most valuable asset as well as the place you call home, you need a plan to protect your operation, your way of life, your family and future generations.
Find out how we can help you plan a successful journey to family farm succession.
Historically speaking, the federal estate tax is an excise tax levied on the transfer of a person’s assets after death. In actuality, it is neither a death tax nor an inheritance tax, but more accurately a transfer tax. There are three distinct aspects to federal estate taxes that comprise what is called the Unified Transfer Tax: Estate Taxes, Gift Taxes, and Generation- Skipping Transfer Taxes. Legal planning to avoid or minimize federal estate taxes is both a prudent and an important aspect of comprehensive estate planning.
Learn more about Estate Tax Planning.
Family businesses are the backbone of the American economy. From agriculture to services, technology and manufacturing, family businesses generate an estimated one-half of the U.S. Gross National Product and pay half of all wages earned in this country.
Find out how we can help you preserve your family business.
It is never to soon to begin planning for incapacity. Life’s problems are at least as complex and important as death problems; particularly the problem of incapacity and the cost of quality care.
Learn more about Incapacity Planning.
Qualified Retirement Plans (QRPs) present some of the most complicated tax and non-tax planning challenges of any asset in an estate, especially for married couples. The failure to make proper Life & Estate Plans for your QRP can unnecessarily enrich the IRS and disinherit loved ones.
Learn more about IRA & Retirement Planning.
A legacy property could be that special cottage on the lake, a cabin in the woods, that favorite hunting site or fishing hole. One thing all of these properties have in common is that they are a favorite of your family and they want to keep it in the family for future generations.
Learn more about Legacy & Cottage Planning .
We represent both buyers and sellers in structuring real estate transactions, including commercial real estate and farm land and transactions involving corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs).
Learn more about Real Estate & 1031 Transactions.
Special Needs Estate Planning focuses on providing for the special needs of our loved ones with disabilities when we are no longer there to organize and advocate on their behalf. Parents of children with special needs must make careful estate planning choices to coordinate all of the legal, financial, and special care needs of their children – both now and in the future.
Learn more about Michigan Special Needs.
