"Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible,” federal appeals court Judge Hand famously wrote in 1934. “[H]e is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one's taxes.”
Proper estate planning does exactly what Judge Hand promises. It allows you to take personal control over your estate, determining how your assets are handled during your life and distributed after your death.
A sound estate plan eliminates unwanted government involvement and minimizes the potential for disputes among heirs and beneficiaries. In short, it provides peace of mind.
Experience as trusted advisors
Foster Swift’s estate planning attorneys have decades of experience drafting estate plans, including:
- Foundational Estate plans, consisting of a will, revocable trust, and powers of attorney for medical and financial decisions
- Estate Tax Planning Trusts
- Marital Deduction and Qualified Terminable Interest Property Trusts
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
- Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts
- Special Needs Trusts
- Charitable Trusts
- Pet Trusts
- Family LLC’s , Intentionally Defective Irrevocable Trusts and other Gift Leveraging Tools
- Business Succession Planning
- Estate and Trust Administration
Each plan is tailored to the individual needs of our diverse clientele. This includes the young family just beginning their life together to the affluent, well-established business executive concerned with the succession of the family business.
Whether the estate is simple or complex, the goal of the estate plan is the same: to achieve personal and family objectives and to minimize tax liability.
Recent Blog Posts
- Is There a Digital Afterlife?
- Executing Estate Planning Documents Outside of Attorney's Office
- When It Comes To Estate Planning, Coordination Is Key
- Importance of Durable Powers of Attorney
- Should Your Family Business Keep a Corporate Minute Book?
- Survivor's Checklist: What to do When a Loved One Passes Away
- Estate Planning for New and Aging Parents
- A Look at Conservatorships in Wake of Britney Spears Case
- How Should We Celebrate Elder Law Month?
- Dangers of DIY Estate Planning Emails
Publications & Alerts
- Your Initial Estate Planning Meeting: What to Keep in Mind, Foster Swift Agricultural Law News, November 10, 2021
- Changes to Income Tax May Make for Favorable Roth IRA Conversions, Foster Swift Trust & Estates Law News, February 3, 2021
- Decrease in Federal Gift and Estate Tax Exclusion Amount: No Time To Wait, Foster Swift Trust & Estates Law News, February 2, 2021
- Loss of Basis Step-Up at Death and Increase in Capital Gains Tax, Foster Swift Trust & Estates Law News, February 2, 2021
- Charitable Planning and Gifting in the Biden Era, Foster Swift Trust & Estates Law News, January 30, 2021
- Remote Notarization and Witnessing Services Available, Foster Swift Legal Update E-blast, April 15, 2020
Events
- Estate Planning Essentials for Agriculture, Farm Bureau, February 18, 2022
- Large Farms and Multiple Operations—How do we structure our growing business?, Farm Bureau, February 18, 2022
- Estate Planning Seminar, Farm Bureau, September 18, 2021
- Your College-Bound Child and the Law, Foster Swift 2nd Wednesday Morning Break, August 11, 2021
- Spotlight on Elder Law: Attorney Matthew Fedor, Business Innovators Magazine, May 21, 2021
- Estate and Succession Planning Essentials for Family Farms: Don’t Procrastinate – Control the Future of Your Farm, Great Lakes Crop Summit, January 30, 2019
- Trusts 101: Estate Planning for the Disabled, November 14, 2018
News
- Elder Law Month: Estate Planning Still Important to Seniors in Wake of COVID, Global Newswire, May 4, 2022
- What Happens When You Pass Before Your Pets?, Global Newswire, April 11, 2022
- New Virtual Program Addresses Legal Strategies for Women Business Leaders, Michigan Business Network, March 28, 2022
- Foster Swift Elects Four Shareholders, January 10, 2022
- Fedor and Genovich join Michigan State Bar Foundation Fellows, Michigan State Bar Foundation, November 11, 2021
- Van Regenmorter Gives Guidance on Estate Planning, Community Foundation Holland/Zeeland Area, October 22, 2021
- Gibson Listed in ‘Women in the Law’ Class of 2021, Michigan Lawyers Weekly, August 22, 2021