St George Estate Planning

Not All Estate Plans are Created Equal

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Internet Estate Plan

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  • Limited Services Agreement

    This is a contract between you and Brock Law Office and E. Lawrence Brock, Attorney at Law, for limited Estate planning services, including preparation of a living trust, a pour-over will, a power of attorney for asset management and an Advanced Health Care Directive.

    Our fee for these services vary depending on your selection of services. We will perform the services after you accept this legal services agreement and pay the fee through our credit card system. This engagement will end when we deliver the estate planning documents to you ready for signature. Our fee will be non-refundable after we deliver your documents.

    If you accept this legal services agreement, you will indicate that you understand the following: One of the important reasons for using a trust in your estate plan is avoiding the need for probate when you die. You can only avoid probate for the assets that are held in your trust. Your documents will declare that you hold your property in trust, but, as a practical matter, most assets such as real property, bank accounts and brokerage accounts, require further action. We will give you guidance on how your assets should be held after your trust is signed, but we are not assuming any responsibility for transferring assets to your trust.

    The Brock Law Office has provided a method through EstatePlanDesigner for you to obtain quality estate planning at a reasonable fee. To keep the fee as low as possible, you participate in preparing your estate planning documents. We will review the information you provide only for completeness, spelling and grammar, and for internal consistency of names, addresses and the like. We will not investigate any facts you provide. You must review the final documents before you sign them, and you will be solely responsible for the final documents. You agree to hold EstatePlanDesigner, Brock Law Office, E. Lawrence Brock, Attorney at Law, and their agents harmless.

    The estate plans prepared by Brock Law Office through EstatePlanDesigner are not for the following situations: you want to leave assets to someone who receives governmental benefits; you own part of a professional corporation; either you or your spouse is not a U.S. citizen; you are thinking about getting a divorce; you are incapacitated; either you or your spouse has children from a previous relationship; or you have separate property assets and you want to keep them separate. By accepting this agreement, you confirm that you do not fit into any one of these categories. You also confirm that you and your spouse are over the age of 18 and Utah residents.

    We reserve the right to decline to provide services even after you accept this agreement if we discover we have a conflict of interest or for any reason set forth in the Utah Rules of Professional Conduct. If that happens, we will refund the fee and keep your information confidential.

    If you are doing an estate plan with your spouse or domestic partner, then this paragraph and the next two are very important. (If you are single, these paragraphs do not apply to you.) Couples usually hire one lawyer to prepare their estate plans. This makes a lot of sense. If each of you hired a separate lawyer to negotiate an estate plan, the process would be much more expensive, and it would take much longer. Unfortunately, there are some risks when a lawyer works on a joint estate plan. The Utah Supreme Court says that one law firm cannot prepare a joint estate plan unless it explains these risks and both spouses or partners agree that the law firm should prepare a joint plan despite the risks. As a result, we cannot prepare your estate plan unless you agree to joint representation after considering this notice.

    One of the biggest risks concerns confidential information. People expect that information they give their lawyer will remain confidential, but when one lawyer represents both spouses in estate planning, the lawyer may not be able to keep information secret. Suppose, for example, that one of you tells us about assets you have kept secret from the other. We obviously cannot prepare a joint plan unless both of you know of the assets that will be part of the estate. If you want to keep information secret, then the two of you should hire separate law firms to negotiate your estate plan. If you want us to prepare a joint estate plan, then you must agree (1) that each of you can know everything the other tells us and (2) that each of you can know what we tell the other. (Of course, we cannot share your information with other people.)

    The fact that you may disagree about parts of your estate plan is the other big risk. For example, suppose that one of you wants a family member to manage your assets if both of you are unable to do so, but the other of you wants a business partner to manage them. This is only one example of many issues that could cause disagreement. If you think there is likely to be any serious disagreement, then each of you should hire a separate law firm who can advocate for your side of the issue. If we represent both of you, we will not be able to favor either side. Instead, we will try to balance your interests and arrive at a result that you both can live with (although the resolution may actually be more beneficial to one of you).

    To accept the terms of this agreement and get your estate planning under way, indicate your acceptance below.
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  • Personal Information

  • Spouse's Information

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  • Children's Information

    Please use legal name, and mark the relationship of the child. Mark "Joint" if both spouses are the parents, "Husband" is the husband is the parent, or "Wife" is the wife is the parent.
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  • Guardian for Minor Children

    Those who would watch your children in the event something were to happen to you.
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  • Trustees

    Simply, the Trustees are the people who are in charge. Generally, the initial trustees are the same people who created the trust. During their lifetime, they have the power to manage, invest and control the trust. After the initial trustees, you will need to nominate someone to take over the duties of management of the trust assets, should the initial trustees be unable to act due to death, disability or illness. You can have one or more people serving at the same time. There are advantages to have joint trustees, independent third parties, and trust companies but there are also disadvantages. The role of Trustee is the most important role in regards to the management and distribution of your Estate.
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  • Attorney in Fact

    An attorney in fact is the person who will act as your agent should you be unable to make your own financial decisions, or should you desire that person to have control over your financial affairs. This person or persons will be nominated in a power of attorney. You may have one or more people serving at the same time. This appointment is only good during your lifetime. Married couples often list their spouse as the first choice and have alternatives listed should the spouse be unable to serve.
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  • Health Care Power of Attorney

    The Health Care Power of Attorney is similar to your attorney in fact, except that the Health Care Power of Attorney will be making medical decisions for you instead of financial decisions. Generally only one person serves because it is often difficult for multiple persons to be together at the same time to make these difficult decisions. Married couples often list their spouse as the first choice and have alternatives listed should the spouse be unable to serve.

    Issues to consider for discussion with the attorney include: life support, pain management, alzheimers treatment, organ donation, blood transfusions, current illness, pregnancy, autopsy, funeral plans and religion.
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  • Will Executor

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  • Plans

    Will Plan: A plan that would be most likely used by a family who has young children and is just starting out, does not own a home and has a small amount of assets. One of the most important aspects of this plan is naming guardians of young children.

    The "Will Plan" is a very simple plan which will lead to equal and immediate distribution through probate. Documents included in this plan are: Advanced Health Care Directive, Confidential Medical Information Release under Federal HIPAA Law, and Durable Power of Attorney.


    Probate Avoidance Plan: A simple trust that will avoid probate and distribute assets immediately, directly and equally to the children.

    The "Probate Avoidance Plan" is a very simple estate plan that will make it so your estate will avoid probate. Some documents that are included in this plan are: Advanced Health Care Directive, Confidential Medical Information Release under Federal HIPAA Law, Durable Power of Attorney and Pour-Over Will.


    Lifetime Protection Plan: A plan that will provide for the trust makers during their lifetime, protect them in the event of disability and incapacity, provide and protect the surviving spouse after the death of the first from creditors, from liability, and remarriage and then has the options to provide for children with lifetime trusts that protect the children from their creditors, from liability, medical challenges and from divorce.

    The "Lifetime Protection Plan" is a comprehensive estate plan used to protect you and your family. This plan will include documents such as: Advanced Health Care Directive, Confidential Medical Information Release under Federal HIPAA Law, Durable Power of Attorney and Pour-Over Will. It can also include additional items such as: Tax Planning, Bankruptcy, Remarriage, Medi-Cal, Liability and (S)SNT.


    Legacy and Dynasty Plan: This plan is built to insure that the grandchildren receive a portion of the estate and provides the same protections.

    The"Legacy and Dynasty Plan" is our most comprehensive estate plan. This plan is built around your specific needs through customization. This plan will include documents such as: Advanced Health Care Directive, Confidential Medical Information Release under Federal HIPAA Law, Durable Power of Attorney and Pour-Over Will. It can also include additional items such as: Tax Planning, Bankruptcy, Remarriage, Medi-Cal, Liability and (S)SNT.
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  • Options

    You are 6 times more likely to become incapacitated this year than die.
    Tax planning and protection of the spouse after the passing of the first. Tax avoidance, emotional & financial remarriage protection, liability & creditor protection.
    Lifetime trust for the children providing string, rope or chain protection from creditors, liability, failed marriages, themselves and medical catastrophe.
    Choosing this option provides special instructions to your guardian and trustee, and simulates a beneficiary support schedule as if you live to a normal life expectancy. For example, this option authorizes payments for private school, for artistic, religious or athletic interests, travel expenses, allows your child to purchase a home, engage in a business or pay for a wedding, and pays for college education. It is highly recommended that all clients with minor children choose this option as it could save thousands of dollars and strained relationships if the guardian and trustee need to make these decisions without guidance.
    Parents often pay for their children's basic living expenses, first car, college tuition, wedding, etc. If the parents unexpectedly die with one or more children significantly younger than others, the younger children are disadvantaged because they may spend their inheritance for the above mentioned living expenses. By selecting this option, your wealth will be held as if you were alive and be available to the guardian to raise all your children. Upon your youngest child attaining the age of 25 or graduating from college, your trust assets are split into shares for your respective children. This ensures that your younger children are not disadvantaged.
    If one or both spouses are not US citizens, then the IRS can impose an estate tax upon the death for all assets over $60,000. This is a bad result. This tax can be avoided if the living trust includes a special sub-trust called a QDOT. This special sub-trust must exist to escape this tax. All married clients must choose this option if either spouse is not a US citizen.
    Remember the fight between Anna Nicole Smith and the children of her much-older husband? You can ensure that, upon the death of the first of you, the survivor will not be preyed upon by a subsequent suitor. By selecting this option you protect the assets of the first spouse to die in favor of your beneficiaries, and ensure that a subsequent suitor cannot attack them when the survivor is vulnerable.
    Wouldn't it be nice if you could enjoy your assets while no judgement, creditor, spouse or bankruptcy judge could ever take them from you? Everyone wants this feature, and this is what your beneficiaries will get if you select this option. By choosing this option, your children can enjoy your assets after your death, but never lose them to a lawsuit, bad business deal, bankruptcy, or divorce. There is no downside; your children maintain the same rights to the trust they otherwise would enjoy on top of the asset protection feature.
    A wise man once went to extreme efforts to give enough money to his beneficiaries so they were able to do anything they wanted to do, but not so much money that they did nothing at all. Selecting this option will allow your beneficiaries to enjoy the wealth you leave them while giving them incentive to be responsible and contributing members of society. This is an excellent way to leave a lasting legacy without letting money ruin your beneficiaries. Most clients with $3 million or more choose this option.
    If you have a handicapped beneficiary, he or she could lose their federal or state welfare benefits upon inheriting your money. By selecting this option your handicapped beneficiary will retain your assets in a special trust for his or her sole benefit while retaining all federal and state welfare benefits allowable. All clients with handicapped beneficiaries must select this option.
    To escape the dreaded generation skipping tax (GST), the IRS requires gifts to grandchildren be made in a special manner. By selecting the Dynasty Trust option you can pass assets to grandchildren and their descendants without triggering the GST tax. Your GST Dynasty Trust will provide for the health care and educational expenses of your descendants for at least 90 years after your death without being subject to estate taxes. Leaving your family with a lasting legacy ensures payment for health insurance, medical expenses, private school, college, post graduate education and emergencies. What's more, your GST Dynasty Trust cannot be penetrated by creditors, the IRS, bankruptcy or divorce.
    The IRS allows qualified retirement plans to continue its tax-deferral status for the life of your beneficiaries. However, your beneficiary designations must be stated in a very specific manner. Further, an inherited IRA is not asset protected from creditors and nothing stops the beneficiary from spending or losing all the money. By installing an IRA Trust and properly designating your beneficiaries, you ensure that your qualified plans will pass to your beneficiaries in separate accounts qualifying for long term tax deferral, and you add a layer of assets protection to the otherwise vulnerable qualified plan assets. This is very important because even a $100,000 IRA gifted to a 20 year old taking long term tax deferral distributions at 7% rate of of return can pay $1,900,000! This benefit is highly recommended for all clients with more than $200,000 in their qualified plans (including 401(k), IRA, SEP, 403(b), etc.)
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St George Estate Planning
E. Lawrence Brock, Attorney & Counselor

Address: 193 S 100 East, St George, UT 84770
Hours: Monday thru Friday - 9AM–4:30PM
Saturday & Sunday - Closed
Phone: (435) 688-9117

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193 S 100 East · St. George · Utah · 84770 - Phone: (435) 688-9117