Estate Planning and Probate

Troy ● Detroit, Michigan Estate Planning Lawyers

There are a number of effective estate planning tools that can help you transfer assets, avoid certain kinds of estate tax, provide for the healthcare of a love one, and ensure a closely held business is kept within the family. At Stark Reagan, our estate planning attorneys discuss how to structure your estate plan to protect more of what you've earned while providing for the financial security of your family. Since our estate planning lawyers are also CPA's, we have the knowledge needed to help you avoid certain kinds of taxes, qualify for Medicaid without spending down your assets, and provide for the continuity of your business.

Stark Reagan's estate planning and probate attorneys have years of experience counseling individuals and businesses. We guide our clients through the orderly management, transfer and disposition of property - with a minimum of court involvement. From our offices in southeastern Michigan, our estate planning and probate lawyers can guide your family business in succession planning. Our legal team has a diverse perspective, with estate planning and probate lawyers that span three generations.

For more information regarding our firm and how we can help you protect your family's financial future, contact estate planning attorneys at Stark Reagan today.

Planning for Your Family's Future

Our areas of concentration include:

• Income, gift, estate, and inheritance tax planning and dispute resolution
• Wills and related estate planning
• Living wills
• Health care powers of attorney
• Medicaid Eligibility
• General durable powers of attorney
• Revocable and irrevocable trusts
• Living trusts
• Charitable trusts
• Generation-skipping trusts
• Business succession planning
• Family business succession planning
• Retirement distribution issues
• Estate and/or probate litigation

Wealth Transfer - Understanding the Tax Issues Involved

Stark Reagan's estate planning attorneys also assist our clients to develop and implement various lifetime wealth transfer techniques, including grantor retained annuity trusts, fractional ownership of real property, qualified personal residence trusts, family limited partnerships and family limited liability companies.

All estate planning decisions are made with the client's best interests and goals in mind. In many instances, income tax and estate tax issues weigh heavily in the decision making process. As laws change affecting estates and estate planning, our clients are made aware of changes so that their estate plans can be kept current and in compliance with applicable laws.

Elder Law, Medicaid Eligibility, and Healthcare Planning

For older Americans, it's important to begin the planning process sooner than later. Medicare typically covers short-term medical needs. Qualifying for Medicaid may be necessary for people who need long-term in-home or institutional care. In order qualify for Medicaid a person must meet certain income requirements. If you fail to set aside money in a special needs trust, testamentary trust, or immediate annuity, you could be forced to "spend down" your assets to qualify for Medicaid. Additionally, since Medicaid has a five year look back penalty, it's important to begin planning now rather than later.

We Focus on Getting the Best Estate Tax and Income Tax Results

Whether you need seasoned legal advice regarding estate tax planning, family trusts, or family business succession planning, our estate planning attorneys will help you make decisions with an eye on getting the best estate and income tax results. Our lawyers stay current with the changing laws in this area, and we make clients aware of any changes that might affect their estate or estate planning decisions. For capable legal guidance with estate planning, and probate issues, contact the Michigan probate litigation attorneys today at Stark Reagan.

Our seasoned Stark Reagan estate planning and probate lawyers include:

R. Keith Stark
Kenneth M. Boyer
Ronald T. Charlebois