West Bloomfield, MI, Estate Planning Attorney

What happens to your assets after you’re gone? Perhaps you’ve built a business from the ground up, or maybe you’ve owned your house for decades. If you’ve made your home in West Bloomfield, Michigan, it’s only natural that you want to preserve what you’ve built here and pass it down to the next generation.

An estate planning firm like Bingham Legal Group PC can help you do that. Our attorneys can create a comprehensive estate plan for you, helping you keep your assets out of probate, provide for your medical and financial needs as you age, and minimize your estate taxes.

If your family doesn’t match the traditional model, you may have unique estate planning needs that not every estate planning law firm will understand. We pride ourselves on helping nontraditional families create estate plans that address their needs. If you need estate planning services in West Bloomfield, Michigan, contact Bingham Legal Group PC today to get started with a consultation.

Estate Planning Services for Clients in West Bloomfield, Michigan

Most people don’t want to think about what will happen after they pass away, but failing to plan can cause many problems for your family. If you don’t make a valid will, your estate will be distributed according to a formula set by the state of Michigan. This ensures that your heirs inherit, but you cannot choose who your heirs should be without a will. If you write a will but don’t give some thought to protecting your assets, your estate will go through probate, and your heirs will have to wait to inherit anything.

A carefully designed estate plan can save you and your family a lot of trouble. Estate planning services we offer to individuals in West Bloomfield, Michigan, include:

• Drafting a will to pass down your assets to your beneficiaries
• Creating trusts to keep your assets out of probate and achieve other goals
• Estate planning services for nontraditional families
• Modifying your current estate plan

Don’t put off thinking about the future. Make things easier for you and your family by creating a comprehensive estate plan today.

Drafting a Will

Drafting a will is the first step in creating an estate plan. You can use a will to do many things, such as:

• Designating your beneficiaries
• Choosing a trusted person to act as your personal representative or executor
• Naming a guardian for any minor children
• Supporting your favorite charities

When choosing a personal representative, the most important factors to consider are trust and experience. You need to select someone you can trust, but you must also choose someone who can fulfill all the tasks needed to administer your estate. Your executor must:

• Gather your assets
• Inform your creditors that you’ve passed on
• Pay your debts
• File and pay your taxes
• Keep accurate and complete records
• Distribute your remaining assets to the heirs you’ve named in your will

Our estate planning attorneys can help you choose the right person to serve as your executor. We can also help you write your will clearly and unambiguously to avoid disagreements or conflicts between your heirs after you pass on.

Creating a Trust

There are several different types of trust, including:

• Revocable trusts
• Irrevocable trusts
• Special needs trusts
• Charitable trusts
• Medicaid trusts

You can use trusts to do many things in Michigan, such as keeping your assets out of probate, protecting them from creditors, or providing for family members with special needs. Talk to our attorneys about the different purposes for which you can use a trust in Michigan.

What Happens if You Don’t Have an Estate Plan?

If you die without an estate plan in Michigan, state intestacy laws determine the distribution of your property. The probate court will appoint an administrator to handle your estate, which includes collecting assets, paying debts, and distributing what remains. Your surviving spouse and children are first in line to inherit, but their shares may vary depending on family circumstances. If you have no spouse or children, the law looks to other relatives such as parents or siblings. If you have an unmarried partner, friends, or charities to whom you wish your assets to go, they may be excluded unless they’re named as beneficiaries on specific accounts.

The probate process also covers expenses such as funeral costs and creditor claims before any of your property is distributed to your heirs. Assets with designated beneficiaries, like retirement accounts, life insurance, or jointly held property, usually pass outside probate. If you left minor children, the court will decide on guardianship and oversee how inherited funds are managed for them.

Without a will or trust, disputes may arise among your relatives, extend the probate process, and increase costs. Some smaller estates may qualify for simplified procedures, but many families face delays, additional fees, and limited control over outcomes. Having a comprehensive estate plan can help your loved ones avoid these issues by directing how your assets should pass and who should be responsible for carrying out key instructions.

Estate Planning for Nontraditional Families

No two families are the same, but probate law is written as if there were only one type of family. If your family is anything other than a married straight couple with children, then many existing laws may not seem like they were written with your family in mind. A skilled estate planning lawyer familiar with the needs of nontraditional families can help you modify your estate plan depending on your circumstances. Ask your estate planning attorneys about estate planning for nontraditional families if you are:

• Grandparents raising grandchildren
• Aunts or uncles raising nieces or nephews
• A same-sex couple with adopted children
• An unmarried couple
• A family with adult adoptees
• An individual with no children or partner

Modifying Your Current Estate Plan

If you already have an estate plan, you’re ahead of the pack. However, you may fall behind if your estate plan isn’t current. You should review your estate plan whenever there is a major change in your life. For example:

• If there is a birth or death in your family
• If you have bought or sold any significant assets
• If you’ve been diagnosed with a major medical condition
• If you are planning to give someone a large gift

Depending on the circumstances, any of these events can make it necessary for you to modify your existing estate plan. Contact an estate planning lawyer serving West Bloomfield for assistance if you need to change your estate plan.

Contact an Estate Planning Lawyer Serving West Bloomfield, Michigan, Today

Every aspect of a good estate plan should help you prepare for a contingency that may occur, allowing you to plan ahead and prevent problems before they can happen. An experienced local estate planning law firm can help you age comfortably and with minimal stress, knowing you’ve prepared for every eventuality.

Bingham Legal Group PC is an estate planning law firm serving West Bloomfield, Michigan. Our legal team has over 60 years of combined experience solving estate planning problems for our clients. We can find creative solutions for problems that may seem impossible to solve. If you need estate planning services, contact us today to arrange a consultation with an experienced attorney.