Estate-planning Surprise

Estate planning is the management of a person's estate (net worth at any point whether alive or dead), during their life, to arrange how this estate will be disposed and managed during their life and after they die. This minimizes gift, generation skipping transfer, estate and income tax. It also takes into account the possibility of incapacity of a person and administers a probate which maximizes the estate value by reducing other expenses. A probate distributes property after death and includes the validation of the will, estate representative hearing notification of creditors and the estate distributed to the will beneficiaries. Some modern estate planners recommend probate avoidance strategies to eliminate the cost and time of the probate process. Mediation is available to settle disputes. For minors and beneficiaries in incapacity, a guardian is often designated. Estate planning law overlaps with elder law which also provision long term-care, and involves wills, trusts, powers of appointment and attorney as well as property ownership.