Wills, Trusts & Estate Planning

Responsible Estate Planning for Everyday People

Prepare for Your Future With an Experienced Maryland Attorney

Estate planning goes beyond simply preparing a Will. At its core, estate planning is a way for individuals to protect themselves, their estates and their families, and to secure their vision for their families and the future. Wills and trusts, advance directives, powers of attorney and other important documents are tools that we employ to achieve our clients’ long term goals.

An essential part of estate planning is an evaluation of the taxes that could affect your estate, and a discussion of strategies to reduce or eliminate those taxes. Laura Henninger is both a CPA and an attorney and has over 20 years of experience in the field of taxation. She is familiar with the intricacies of the different types of taxes and with helping clients to navigate the tax minefield.

Another important part of estate planning involves planning for the possibility of a disability, either for yourself or one of your family members. At Henninger & Henninger, LLC, we provide experienced and responsible guidance to individuals who want to express their wishes about important life issues, and to name other trusted individuals to assist them with important decisions if they should become incapacitated. We also assist clients with planning for family members with special needs.

Lawyer Laura Henninger has represented clients in the creation of Wills, trusts and other estate planning documents since 1992. In the friendly and caring environment of our Bel Air, Maryland office, we provide the personal attention and skilled legal service to help you make the right decisions for your family’s future.

Decisions You Make Today Can Protect You Tomorrow

There are many tools involved in estate planning, all of which must be tailored to your individual situation. These include:

• Wills
• Revocable Living Trusts,
• Other types of trusts, including life insurance trusts, personal residence trusts, charitable trusts, and special needs trusts
• Living Wills, also known as advance directives or advance healthcare directives
• Powers of attorney, including durable financial and medical powers of attorney
• Elder law and disability planning
• Probate and estate administration

We Will Look After Your Individual Needs

When preparing an estate plan, we sit down with prospective clients to understand their personal situations. Each client is different, so each estate plan is different. Before we can help our clients achieve their goals, we need to understand their hopes and dreams for the future, their family’s unique needs and goals, and their current and projected financial situation.

This does not simply mean asking the client about their net worth or about how their estate should be divided. We look at all of the client’s assets in detail, including the titling of each asset, any beneficiaries that have been established, and the value of each asset. After we understand this information, we can begin to talk about the taxes that will likely affect their estate, and discuss strategies for reducing these taxes. We also take the time to learn each client’s family situation, and to help the client formulate plans and goals for the future needs of the client’s spouse, children and other loved ones. Based on our discussions with clients, we are able to craft the appropriate combination of Wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives and other documents to help the client accomplish their goals for themselves and their families, while reducing taxes and other estate expenses. While these documents may be complex, we take great care to explain the documents to each client and to make sure each client is comfortable with the plan.

Whether you have already decided you need a Will, or if you have questions and are unsure how estate planning can help your situation, contact us at Henninger & Henninger, LLC. Take advantage of our experienced law firm and get the representation that your case deserves. Call us at (410) 836-5300.