Estate Planning

Stranahan, Stranahan & Cline provides will and estate planning services to individuals, families and fiduciaries on a wide range of issues involving estate and gift planning as well as estate and trust administration. Our attorneys are experienced in drafting wills and a variety of tax-saving trusts. We excel at counseling and advising closely held businesses on transferring wealth from one generation to the next. We also counsel executors and trustees in connection with administration and representation in tax audits and preparation of gift and estate tax returns. Our fees for these services are reasonable and fair.

No matter what the size of your estate, the need for an estate plan is always present. The key is planning; without it you will not decide who will receive your property or when they will receive it, who will raise your children, who will administer your estate, or who will make financial or health care decisions for you should you become disabled or incapacitated. Rather, these decisions will be left to the courts and the laws of the Commonwealth. Stranahan, Stranahan & Cline recognizes that planning for one’s death or incapacity is not necessarily a pleasant experience, but if viewed as a means to insure a better future for your family, loved ones and beneficiaries its importance is self evident.

“EVERYONE HAS A PLAN UNTIL THEY GET PUNCHED IN THE MOUTH.”

This quote reminds me of lawyers who prepare expensive and fancy trust documents for their clients. These documents look great on paper, in a fancy binder, but the problems begin when it’s time to start administering the trust. Is the trustee still around? Does he or she know that there is a good chance he or she will wind up in court? Was any property (new or after-acquired) actually transferred into the trust? On and On – the problems surface as time passes.

At Stranahan, Stranahan & Cline we suggest starting with a basic estate plan that will be simple to administer and not burden the personal representative – while at the same time minimizing foreseeable tax consequences. Our firm is in the trenches administering estates on a regular basis, and through our experience, the most efficient and cost effective estate plans generally do not involve expensive trusts.

CALL OUR OFFICES to set up your will, power of attorney and living will (complimentary).