216 Higgins Road Park Ridge, IL, 60068 (847) 221-0154

“SENIOR” ESTATE PLANNING vs. TRADITIONAL ESTATE PLANNING

– WHICH DO YOU HAVE? – WHICH WILL PROTECT YOU, YOUR ASSETS AND YOUR FAMILY?
…AN IMPORTANT ALERT TO SENIORS AND BOOMERS ALIKE!

Life Happens… Life Changes… So Must Your Estate Plan.

So, What does your estate plan look like?

  • Will Traditional Estate Planning work for you? Or do you need “Senior” Estate Planning to accomplish your objectives and protect you, your assets and your family?
  • What are the ways to protect your assets from devastating long-term healthcare costs?
  • Can a Living Trust protect your assets?
  • Why doesn’t Traditional Estate Planning always work…and what does work?
  • Have you considered whether long-term care planning (i.e., Senior Estate Planning) is something that could benefit you? Without Senior Estate Planning, the state will probably determine how you spend your money if you are in a nursing home.
We provide our solutions to you through specific and appropriate types of planning. There are different types of planning for the 3 phases of life:
PHASES PLANNING
Maturing Years Traditional Estate Planning (age range 18-55)
Senior Years (THE GAP) Senior Estate Planning (Pre-planning, Wait and See Planning, Crisis Planning) (age range 55 and up)
Post-Death Years Estate and Trust Administration
If you already have a traditional estate plan, does your traditional estate plan need to be modified to a senior estate plan? This is where the GAP in most people’s planning occurs.  Most traditional estate plans plan for death only. But between now, when you’re able to manage your own affairs, and the time of your death, there can be a long period of time in which long-term care is needed.  Senior Estate Planning is the only type of planning that can provide for long-term care properly, whether you are a boomer or senior. Unfortunately, this type of planning  is what most people do not have. Senior Estate Planning can consist of:
  • a Pre-Plan, where you or your spouse have at least five years to protect assets;
  • a Wait and See Plan to take into account some recent diagnosis of a future debilitating illness, where some legal work is done now and some legal work is deferred until later in your prognosis;
  • a Crisis Plan, where you must immediately have in place all the tools to protect you and your family and your assets in the midst of a long-term care spend-down crisis.
To sum it up, you must consider solutions for that stage of your life in which you require long-term health care (i.e., nursing home care), which is most likely not addressed in your existing estate plan. A Special Offer For You: Call (847) 221-0154 today for a FREE 15 minute telephone consultation!  We would be happy to answer your general questions about traditional estate planning, “senior” estate planning, and long-term care planning. Even if you have already done some planning, we can help you make a general assessment of your needs.