Bay Area Estate Planning Attorney
Estate planning allows you to set out your own desires about what you want to have happen to your assets following your death or incapacity. Proper estate planning ensures that your loved ones will be provided for and that your assets are allocated in accordance with your exact wishes.
John D. Teter Law Offices provides basic estate planning services for clients including creation of living trusts and pour-over wills, and advanced health care directives that detail your medical preferences. Our primary goal is to create estate plans that clarify distributions to heirs, simplify or avoid probate, and minimize any tax consequences/issues. Contact San Jose estate planning attorney John D. Teter to schedule a convenient consultation.
At John D. Teter Law Offices, we believe the fundamentals of estate planning include:
- A living trust
and/or
- A pour-over will
as well as a
- Health Care Directive (AHCD)
Pour-Over Will
With a well drafted living trust, the pour-over will has only one beneficiary, your living trust. This ensures that all of your assets are controlled by the terms of the trust. This avoids conflicting instructions or omitted items.
Advanced Directive for Health Care / ADHC
Formerly referred to as the Power of Attorney for Health Care, the ADHC designates the person who will have the power to make health care decisions when you are unable to make them yourself. It also provides instructions on health care decisions you would like to have made on your behalf, including designations as to extraordinary measures to prolong your existence, as well as your preferences with regard to anatomical gifting, cremation vs. burial, and funeral services.
Estate planning helps your family by taking care of some difficult decisions. Clear instruction as to who will get what can help ensure that your loved ones do not fight over the disposition of your estate. It also enables all involved to avoid unnecessary strain and stress during an already emotionally charged time.
Contact John D. Teter Law Offices today to discuss trusts, wills, and other necessary estate planning tools.
John D. Teter Law Offices
1361 S. Winchester Blvd.
Suite 113
San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 866-1810
Fax: (408) 866-1850

