✅ List of Assets, including approximate value – if you have investment assets, please bring a recent statement from the brokerage house that holds the assets

✅  A recent bank statement

✅ List of names, addresses, and phone numbers for those to whom you plan on leaving assets in a will – usually this is children, relatives, or even charities

✅  A copy of the deed to any real estate you own – if you can find it

✅ Decide who you want to use as your agent under a power of attorney, and that person’s name, address, and phone number, if not included above

✅ Decide who you want to be in charge of distributing your assets upon your death, including that person’s name, address, and phone number, if not included above

What is Estate Planning?

Simply put, estate planning is figuring out what happens to your assets at the time of your death, and planning for how we get from here to there.  Preserving assets, protecting your interests, and setting up the proper legal documents are all parts of this process.

Estate planning not only includes planning for asset distribution upon your demise, but also encompasses advance directives, including advance healthcare directives, living wills, a health care proxy, a medical power of attorney, a financial power of attorney, and other documents to make your wishes and desires know in advanced decisions or advanced directives, directives that are personal to you so that your personal directives are known and carried out.

Creating Your Foundational Documents

A foundational document of any estate plan is a will.

A will is the document that directs how your property is distributed at the time of your death.  It is the will that directs how probate will be handled and instruct the probate court on where property should go.  Wills need to be set up in accordance with the law of the state where you live.

Michael Bailey Law Office, LLC can assist in setting up a will that complies with Colorado law, yet still reflects your desires.  By setting up a will that complies with Colorado law, but clearly states your desires and wishes for property, you can be assured your desires are being carried out.

Creating A Living Trust in Colorado

A trust is an arrangement whereby property or assets are placed into a legal entity called a trust, so that property and assets can be held and used for the benefit of a person called a beneficiary.  A personal, called a “trustee,” controls property in a Trust.

There are many different types of trusts, some of which are useful to protect assets, avoid probate (in one, or many, states), minimize certain types of taxes, and allow control over money after one passes away.  Michael Bailey Law Office, LLC is familiar with these variations of trust types and can help you decide if a trust is right for you. And, decide the correct type of trust for you to use.

People who own real estate in more than one state, or have a special needs child might need a trust.  Or, people who are aging and want to protect their assets from future medical expenses or other creditors might need a trust.  Even those who simply want to leave a legacy to their descendants could use a trust. Whether or not a trust is right for you can be part of a discussion with the Michael Bailey Law Office, LLC.

At Michael Bailey Law Office LLC, our estate law expertise saves you time and money when transferring an estate.  Everything necessary to plan for a smooth estate transfer to happen can be put in place by Michael Bailey Law Office LLC’s lawyers.