Woodruff & Fortner is based in Smithfield, North Carolina, and has served people in and around Raleigh since 2001. We proudly represent people in Johnston, Harnett, Wayne, and Sampson Counties, and throughout Eastern North Carolina, offering a full range of estate planning and probate services to help clients achieve their goals, minimize tax liability, and efficiently transfer wealth from one generation to the next.
It’s never too soon to start thinking about how you will plan for the future and take care of your loved ones. Estate planning can be a sensitive topic, and we understand that writing a will or setting up a trust is about more than financial security. It’s about the emotional security that comes from knowing you have a plan in place to take care of those who mean the most to you.
A basic estate plan includes a Last Will and Testament, Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Living Will, and Advance Directives. These documents give you control over important decisions that must be made when you pass and ensure your wishes will be carried out if you cannot handle your business and legal affairs yourself.
Your Last Will and Testament describes, often in general terms, how your assets will be distributed after your death. Your Will also identifies the person who will serve as the executor of your estate and can name a guardian of any minor children.
A Durable Power of Attorney authorizes another person to manage your business, legal, and financial affairs.
A Healthcare Power of Attorney authorizes the person you nominate to speak to doctors and other healthcare providers, make healthcare decisions on your behalf, make end-of-life decisions, and handle your medical affairs. Additionally, you can use a Living Will to specify your wishes regarding end-of-life care you do or do not wish to receive.
A trust can be used to address a variety of common concerns for complex estates, and depending on your goals, a trust may be an important part of your estate plan. You can use a trust to avoid probate, minimize estate transfer taxes, and manage trust assets during the lifetime of the trust-maker.
A trust establishes a fiduciary relationship between the grantor, or trust-maker, and the trustee. The trustee manages trust assets on behalf of the beneficiary. In some situations, the grantor, trustee, and beneficiary are all the same person.
Probate and estate administration is the process by which a person’s assets are collected and inventoried, debts and taxes are paid, and assets are distributed to heirs, beneficiaries, and other loved ones when they pass away.
Our probate and estate administration services include:
We have also served in several fiduciary capacities, including guardian and trustee.
If you were named as the estate executor or as trustee in a trust agreement, it is important to hire an estate and probate attorney. Our team is ready to guide you through the process. Please call our law office or submit an online form to set up an initial consultation with an estate attorney today.
Estate planning, probate, and estate administration can be a complex and challenging process. But with assistance from our experienced and compassionate estate attorneys, it doesn’t have to be. Preparation and communication are the hallmarks of our practice. We learn every detail of our clients’ cases and guide them through the estate planning and probate process, helping achieve their goals, protect their assets, and transfer wealth to the next generation.
To schedule an initial consultation, please call our law office or fill out our online contact form today.
