CLA Estate Services for Estate Planning
Is estate planning something you need to consider? Many seniors and retirees dismiss the question out of hand under the mistaken impression that estate planning is something that only the wealthy need to think about. In fact, many seniors would benefit greatly from taking the time to evaluate their assets and creating a comprehensive estate plan. CLA Estate Services specializes in helping seniors plan for the future, particularly those seniors and retirees who have never considered estate planning before.
What Is Estate Planning?
An estate plan is a master plan to lay out the management of your property and assets during your life and dictate how they will be distributed upon your death. While each plan will vary for that person’s situation, an estate plan can be very helpful for people who meet one or more of the following conditions:
- You want to limit taxes and fees on your retirement funds and on your estate
- You want to ensure you don’t outlive your income
- You have minor children or dependents that rely on you financially
- Your assets total more than the current estate tax exemption
- You want to direct the distribution of your assets to your heirs
- You want to decide who will make decisions on your behalf if you are incapacitated
For most people, estate planning will provide more control over their assets during their lives, ensure proper care if they become disabled and allow for the transfer of assets to the heirs they choose and when they want them distributed.
Learning About Estate Planning
CLA Estate Planning Services assists seniors through free workshops held in cities throughout the country. The workshops provide an introduction to the concepts and goals behind estate planning, including financial security, wealth protection, tax reduction, retirement planning, asset financial advice, as well as, introduction to some of the methods used to meet estate planning goals. CLA ES services include assistance with creating an estate plan, from identifying and evaluating assets, to helping seniors identify the necessary documents and instruments to ensure that their wishes will be carried out.
CLA Estate Services has been in the business of assisting seniors with estate planning and conservative financial planning for over a dozen years. The Better Business Bureau that covers its home office in Frisco, Texas has awarded the company an A+ rating for its handling of customer service and the low volume of complaints received about the company. If you’ve never considered estate planning but are interested in learning more about protecting your assets and ensuring that your property is distributed according to your wishes, a CLA workshop can help you understand the basics and begin the process of safeguarding your estate and assets.
Importance of Estate Planning with CLA Estate Services
Over the years, you’ve worked hard to build a level of security for yourself and your loved ones. It only makes sense to take a few simple steps to protect that security if something should happen to you. CLA Estate Services, who works with seniors to help them protect their assets and plan for the future, explains that a primary goal of estate planning is to protect, preserve and manage your estate – your assets, property and income – if you die or become disabled. While financial experts advise people to begin their estate planning early, the seniors who have availed themselves to CLA Estate Services have often put off thinking about planning until they reach retirement age. In addition, many of them believe that estate planning is just for the wealthy and that their modest assets don’t require any sort of estate planning services.
In truth, estate planning is important for just about everyone. It allows you to accomplish a number of important things that will be denied you if you allow the state to decide how your estate is distributed. A well designed estate plan will:
- Help ensure that your assets go to the people you choose.
- Specify guardians for your minor children, dependents or yourself in the event you become incapacitated.
- Minimize estate taxes and wealth transfer taxes
- Avoid the costs and delays of probate
- Ensure that you and your affairs are handled in the way you want if you become incapacitated
- Relieve your loved ones of the responsibility of guessing at your wishes.
- Ensure that your loved ones receive all of the benefits and assets you want them to have
CLA Estates Services provides assistance and information for seniors who have never considered the importance of an estate plan before. The agents of CLA Estate Services offer informational seminars in cities across the country to explain the process of estate planning, various strategies that can be used to protect assets and provide more information for those who may be interested in creating an estate plan.
Many people believe that planning their estates is complicated, time-consuming and costly. CLA Estate Services representatives help demystify the process and encourage seniors to take the important steps needed to secure their assets and protect the financial future of their beneficiaries. They encourage seniors to meet with an estate attorney or tax attorney and discuss estate planning with their financial professionals to ensure that their wishes are understood and carried out.
Many older adults avoid estate planning in the mistaken belief that they don’t have enough of an estate to worry about. In fact, an estate plan does far more than determine how to distribute your assets after your death. CLA Financial Services, headquartered in Frisco, Texas and operating nationwide, helps seniors understand the importance of estate planning and assists them with tools and advice to help preserve and protect the assets they’ve worked hard to accumulate.
Most people believe that a will is all the estate planning they need. While a will is important, it is only one of several estate planning options. A will can specify how you wish your assets to be distributed, but there are other – and often better – ways to ensure that your assets go to your heirs in the way that you intend. In addition, proper estate planning can help with more than estate distribution. Understanding the basics of estate planning can ensure that your goals are met even if you aren’t able to make your wishes known.
There are a number of events and happenings that can affect your estate planning. One of the biggest roadblocks is Guardianship. In the event you become incapable of handling your own affairs, whether through dementia, Alzheimer’s or other incapacitation, you need someone to take over the handling of your affairs. Without proper planning, this usually takes place through a court approved Guardianship whereby a judge appoints someone to take over your affairs. Unfortunately, Guardianship can be a costly endeavor and may be reviewed by the judge every year. However, with proper planning, a Guardianship proceeding can be completely avoided.
Senior estate planning and asset financial advice is not just for those with substantial assets. Proper utilization of wills, revocable living trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, etc. offer benefits to people of all means in helping protect their assets while they are living and ensuring that their wishes are carried out after they pass away.
Considerations for Estate Planning from CLA Estate Planning Services
Every day, CLA Estate Services works with seniors and retirees who have never thought about estate planning. These are some of the many issues that are often addressed by company representatives in CLA estate planning services workshops.
Wills
An up-to-date will is an important part of estate planning. It allows you to specify who should receive your money and possessions after you die. Without a will, those decisions will be made by the courts according to the state laws. Many people put off making a will, or neglect to update it with important information. While a will is important, it is only one part of a complete estate plan.
Durable Powers of Attorney
These legal documents let you appoint someone to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make them for yourself. There are two types – one for health-care decisions and one for your personal, financial and legal affairs. Assigning powers of attorney can ease your mind by ensuring that someone you trust has the legal right to make decisions if you can’t, and can make things easier for your family and loved ones by making your wishes known to them.
Net Worth
Many people have no idea how much their estates are worth. One of the first steps in creating an estate is to locate all of your assets and calculate your net worth. CLA estate planning services professionals recommend talking to a tax professional or financial adviser to determine the best ways to minimize estate fees, federal and estate taxes and inheritance taxes.
Communicating Your Wishes
A letter of instruction can let you communicate your wishes with regards to your funeral or memorial service, as well as to provide information about your important papers, assets and financial accounts. The CLA estate planning services packet includes an organizer that helps seniors organize all of this information so that survivors aren’t left to guess.
Trusts
Trusts are a very beneficial planning tool. They allow you to avoid probate (which is required with a will), allow you to avoid guardianship and allow you to stay in “control” even after you become incapacitated or pass away. There are different types of trusts and variations provisions within a trust that can help position your assets in advantageous ways. Your attorney can help you determine which trust and which provisions will be beneficial in your circumstances.
Review the survivor benefits provided by your pension plan, military Survivor Benefit Plan or other retirement plans. Likewise, review the beneficiary arrangements and benefits of your IRA and 401(k) plans. Keeping this information up-to-date is vital to ensure proper disbursement.
Organized Records
CLA estate planning services provides an Estate Organizers where you can list important information that your survivors will need after your passing. That information includes account numbers for bank accounts, investment accounts and insurance policies; the location of deeds, car titles, birth and marriage certificates and divorce decrees; and your personal data, including things like your Social Security number, VA claim number and the names and phone numbers of family members. It even allows you to identify the medicine you are taking, the names of your doctors and even your computer passwords.
An organized estate is one of the most loving gifts that you can leave to your family. Your forethought and planning can relieve them that they are making the right decisions, deal with minutiae during their grieving and ensure that your wishes are respected.
CLA Estate Services provides senior estate planning services to coordinate your planning and specializes in providing general information about estate planning. The Frisco, Texas Company has been providing these services for over 13 years, and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau because based on the low number of complaints received about the company and their fast response time to any complaints. Their estate planning workshops are held in cities around the country to provide information about senior estate planning and discuss CLA estate planning services with those who would like to know more about protecting their assets and ensuring that their families are provided for in the future.
To learn more about subjects like CLA Estate Planning Services please visit the web site at: http://www.claestateservices.com
Why CLA Estate Services Educates Seniors About Estate Planning
Every day, tens of thousands of Americans find themselves dealing with something they never expected to have to deal with – the probating of an estate. For some, probate may be a minor issue and be resolved relatively quickly and inexpensively. For some, it can become a time consuming and expensive proposition. For the latter group, they wish they could have avoided probate altogether.
The forms, intricacies and cost associated with probate can become overwhelming to some. Many elect to engage attorneys to help them through the process. But this only adds to the cost. What many people don’t realize is that probate can be avoided if they had properly planned ahead. Knowledge is power and at CLA Estate Services, a Frisco,Texasbased company, we provide our clients the knowledge necessary so that people can make informed decisions regarding their estate plan.
At CLA Estate Services, we are not attorneys and cannot give legal advice or create any legal documents for our clients, but what we can do is educate our clients about the different estate planning tools available. We provide information so that a person can better understand their options when they discuss their needs with their attorney.
Why Avoiding Probate is Preferable
When a person dies without a Last Will and Testament or any other type of estate plan in place to direct how their assets should be distributed, the state usually directs that the estate go through the probate process. This is known as “dying intestate”. Nearly every state has specific intestate laws about who inherits what part of an estate when the decedent hasn’t specified how he wishes his assets to be distributed. Probate can tie up an estate for months – many times as much as a year or two – during which time your loved ones may not have access to accounts and money that they may need to deal with expenses that arise. In addition, if a lawyer is engaged to handle the probate, his fees are paid out of the estate.
Those people who do have a Last Will and Testament will also not avoid probate. While a Will is better than dying intestate as you can control the distribution of your assets, it must be probated before it can be put into effect. So the same issues of probate arise whether or not you have a Will in place. The probate judge still has to approve the will and appoint the executor that you have named. It also allows an avenue for people to contest the validity of the Will. If contested, the person presenting the Will has to prove that the person was competent and executed the Will under his or her own free will.
Whether someone dies intestate or with a Will, probate will be necessary. The time and costs involved can make it a very stressful time for your loved ones. And in many cases, an attorney is engaged to assist the family. Two of the biggest uncertainties in estate planning are how long probate is going to take and how much it is going to cost.
Avoiding Probate Is Just One Reason for Seniors Estate Planning
CLA Estate Services’ educational seminars are designed to help seniors understand these realities and consider options that may help them avoid probate. However, probate is only one of the things involved when talking about estate planning. Seniors who attend seminars offered by CLA Estate Services also learn about other issues that can affect your estate planning, like guardianship, and the options available to address such concerns.
Estate Planning Services: Benefits for Life
What are estate planning services and what can they do for you? This is a common question for those who realize that careful planning for final life wishes (both health care and property) must be done before it’s too late. For seniors, estate planning is certainly a crucial step to take in making sure their estate and family members are taken care of in the event of their death or incapacity. But estate planning should be considered by anyone of any age that owns a home, property, business or substantial financial resources that will need to be dispersed upon their death.
What exactly is included in an estate?
An estate includes real estate (lands, houses, business buildings, shops, warehouses, barns, etc.), bank and financial accounts, stocks and bonds, and personal property such as art pieces, vehicles, jewelry, furnishings, equipment, etc. Estate planning services help to ensure that the property, bank and financial accounts and real estate are taken care of and distributed according to the wishes of the deceased. Estate planning also covers the moneys owed on property or real estate, taxes due, who gets what, and if a personal guardian is needed to handle affairs for any special needs children that are to be the beneficiaries. Funeral arrangements may also be a part of the planning process.
Your Benefits
Carefully plan your surviving spouse benefits so he/she won’t have to go through a lot of legal hassles to obtain what’s rightfully theirs. Consider conservative financial planning to ensure that financial needs will be met for many years to come for yourself and your loved ones. Also, avoid lawsuits by family members, friends, business associates or employees through careful estate planning. Basically, planning now can protect your estate from needless costs, maximize the financial benefits for those you care about the most and help minimize family and/or business-related disputes.
Why hire estate planning services?
Services like the ones offered by CLA Estate Services can be a real time saver for your family. They understand estate planning and know how it can help you cover all the bases. Proper planning, with the help of CLA Estate Services, can put the pieces in place to ensure your wishes are carried out in the future. They will help coordinate the implementation of your estate plan, i.e. a Trust, Will or other estate plan, to address issues like probate, guardianship and distribution of your estate. They can also help you address financial issues, like reducing taxes on social security, plan for long term care and implement a sound financial plan to ensure you have sufficient income for your retirement needs and pass as much to your loved ones after your death. Please note that you will still need to consult an attorney to discuss and/or create any legal documents to carry out your wishes. CLA Estate Services provides a workshop, organizer and personal assistance to help you fully understand how to plan, with routine yearly reviews for life to cover any changes that are needed due to new purchases, changes in income or assets, etc.
You need to think ahead to the financial needs if you were to leave behind a spouse and/or children. Think about how quickly things will change for your family in the event of your death – you’ll want to eliminate any possibilities of delays in getting the financial resources needed to your loved ones. Only with proper proactive planning can you help eliminate possible problems for your family. Even if you have life insurance, this might not take care of all the needs that can arise. No one really knows what the future holds.
Services, such as those offered by CLA Estate Services, have helped clients across the U.S. get their affairs in order so their loved ones won’t have to. You can speak with someone to find out what’s involved with estate planning and how you can get started. It’s actually a lot easier than you think, but well worth any time and effort you put forth to plan ahead!
Complimentary Estate Planning Workshops
At CLA Estate Services, we understand how overwhelming and confusing the topic of estate planning can be to someone. We offer educational workshops on a variety of different topics all over the country and these workshops are designed to take the guesswork out of planning for your estate. Dying without leaving behind a will, trust or other legal documentation is a costly and timely mistake you will want to avoid and with our help, you do not have to let this happen to you.
We all do not like to think about the fact that someday we are going to die, but it is an inevitable reality which must be dealt with, because if we don’t, we are cheating our family out of the benefit of knowing what to do when it happens. Estate planning involves deciding on how and to whom your assets will be divided, deciding on who you trust to manage your affairs, deciding on medical directives, appointing executors or successor trustees and many other issues. At CLA Estate Services, we know how difficult these issues can be to understand, which is why our workshops address these matters providing you with information you can use to navigate through this process.
Another major issue to address is what happens when you are no longer capable of taking care of yourself. Incapacitation is a real factor considering that we are living much longer. Mental disease, like Alzheimer’s, incapacitation and dementia are real issues that we must address. Of course, these are all pointedly tough issues, which many people are quite uncomfortable thinking about, must less talking about. To best plan for the unexpected, you should understand that advance planning and receiving asset planning advice now will help you to have a plan of action in place if anything horrible like this were to happen to you.
CLA Estate Services provides educational workshops which will address these types of issues and the importance of estate planning. You will receive important information about the options available and their drawbacks. You want to do all you can to protect your family, so be as proactive about your death as you are about your life and take matters into your own hands today. At CLA Estate Services we are here to guide you through this process and give you a peace of mind knowing that everything has been taken care of.
Take Care of Estate Planning Early
Most people do not want to think of their impending death, but it is a reality which must be faced as we age. Though talking about money and assets and final wishes with your family may be an uncomfortable topic, you have to do it. If you pass away without having a will, trust or other legal estate plan, it can create family discord and make your death that much more difficult, because nobody will know what you wanted to have done with your assets or what your final wishes would be. At CLA Estate Services, we understand the concerns you have about estate planning and we will help you each and every step of the way through this most delicate of issues and make it easier for you to plan for the future after you are gone.
Estate planning can seem like an overwhelming process, and it involves many issues such as your asset distribution to your heirs, beneficiary designation, power of attorney, property division and appointment, property ownership, gifts and power of appointment. If you are daunted just by thinking of all these issues, well, then you are not alone, because many people feel the same way. However, with the help of CLA Estate Services, we can take the difficulties out of the situation and guide you through the entire process, which will give you the assurance of knowing your last wishes will be fulfilled upon your death.
Because of all the different scenarios involved in your future, a CLA Estate Services representative can help guide you through implement a plan which will carry out your desires. CLA’s Estate Organizer will also help you identify important, non-legal issues which few people want to think about. For example, it will identify whether you wish to be buried or cremated and what music you would liked played at your funeral. It will also let your loved ones know what medications you are taking, who your doctors are, where all your assets are located and even the password to your computer. Basically, it will centralize all the vital information that your loved ones will need upon your death. Many of these issues are very personal and private, so you need to receive planning advice you can trust so you can feel confident knowing you have outlined everything in writing in the event something happens to you and pass away unexpectedly.
We are all going to pass away eventually, but just like anything else in life, we must make plans for the loved ones we leave behind. Talk to CLA Estate Services today about the options available in estate planning, because it is never too late to start planning for the future.
Estate Planning: Are You Prepared?
One of the greatest myths in the arena of estate planning is that only the wealthy have a reason to plan for the future. This is just not the case. At CLA Estate Services, we are dedicated to helping people understand that estate planning is absolutely vital for anyone. We must all face the inevitable, that at some point, we will not be around to help our spouses or our loved ones. With proper estate planning, one can be assured that their wishes will be carried forth upon their incapacity or death.
While we are still able to do so, this is the time to sit back and think seriously about your estate and ask yourself some serious questions. Who do you wish to inherit your assets? Who do I trust to handle my affairs if I become unable to take care of myself? Who do I trust to make decisions regarding my medical care? At CLA Estate Services, you can rest assured that you will have the resources to answer these questions and implement an estate plan which will ensure that your wishes are carried out.
For most people, there are three common ways to do estate planning. First, do nothing and a judge and state laws will decide who takes care of you and who will get your assets after you pass away. Second, is the widely used Last Will and Testament. A Will is a good starting point. It will outline who you want to give your assets to upon your death. A primary drawback of a Will is that it needs to be probated. Probate is the legal process of proving up a will and the entire process is overseen by a Judge. Unfortunately, probate can be a timely and, sometimes, costly process. How much and how long? The answer to that question is unknown. Another limitation to a Will is that it only operates upon your death and does nothing to help you in the event you can no longer take care of yourself. Called “Living Probate”, in the event of your incapacitation, a guardianship or conservatorship must be established and is overseen by a Court. This can also be costly and time consuming process. Further, you have no control over who the Court will assign to handle your estate.
The third most commonly used estate plan is called a Revocable Living Trust. One of the biggest myths is that a Trust is only used for wealthy people for tax planning. This is just not the case. A Trust addresses most of the issues regarding estate planning. It will allow you to maintain control over your assets when you die or when you become incapacitated. Upon your death, the Trust will direct someone you trust to distribute your assets to your heirs as you have directed. It eliminates the probate process, so the oversight of a judge is not required. It also eliminates the unknowns regarding the time and cost of probate since a Trust is not probated. Further, a Trust eliminates the need for a guardianship or conservatorship in the event of your incapacitation. The Trust will direct someone that you have designated and trust to take over the management of your assets in your Trust. While CLA Estate Services cannot tell you which legal estate plan is best suited for your needs, we will educate you regarding your choices so that you know what questions to ask of your attorney. Remember, only a licensed attorney can advise you and draft a legal estate plan that is in your best interest.
We invite you to talk to a CLA Estate Services’ representative to help you better understand the need for estate planning and to show how the services of CLA Estate Services can lead you through this process in order for you to have the peace of mind you deserve.
CLA USA wins lawsuit
CLA USA wins lawsuit. On August 26, 2011 a jury handed down a verdict in favor of CLA USA. CLA was awarded lost revenue and attorney fees. CLA USA has endured this litigation since 2007 and has vigorously defended its business and operations. Charles A. Loper Jr. stated “we are happy this lawsuit was decided in our favor.”
CLA USA was founded by Charles A. Loper Jr. and has been in the business of preserving peoples assets since 1984. CLA’s representatives have special knowledge in assisting our client with issues that are of a particular interest to the retired and elderly. CLA provides estate planning services to over 40,000 families in 38 states.
Civil Action File No. 07-1-6962-34
