Attorneys Skilled In Creating Wills And Trusts

At Cohen & Lombardo, P.C., in Buffalo, New York, we provide a full estate planning analysis for every client. When we sit down with you, we will consider all the facets of your situation. Together, we can determine the full scope of your assets as well as the best way to transfer those assets to your children or whomever else you choose to be your beneficiaries.

Depending on your goals, your needs and your unique family dynamics, we may recommend a will, a trust or a beneficiary designation.

Do You Need A Trust To Accomplish Specific Goals?

Sometimes a simple will is enough. Sometimes, however, various kinds of trusts are required to accomplish certain objectives. For instance, you may want to transfer your assets before your death in order to benefit from the income tax and estate tax implications. Or, you may need to place certain assets in a trust as part of your disability planning strategy.

Resolving Estate-Related Disputes And Concerns

Although the majority of our practice focuses on the transactional side of estate law, our attorneys do not shy away from will contests and other types of estate litigation when necessary to protect our clients’ interests.

Of course, many disputes can be resolved without going to trial. For instance, if you received a petition for the judicial settlement of an account and you don’t understand it or agree with it, our lawyers’ insightful counsel may be able to quickly quell your concerns.

Top 4 Tips For Why You Need A Will Now

Here are some of the best reasons why you need to make a Will NOW and not wait any longer….

FIRST!   It is important to take the first step towards creating an estate plan by making your Will now. Do not procrastinate. It will not become any easier if you wait a month or a year or five years! Making your will NOW will let you check off one more item on that never-ending TO DO list. It will allow you to feel better about your future because now you have addressed what will happen when you are no longer here.

SECOND!   Do not downplay your assets and the issues that will arise in passing them on to your beneficiaries. You will be surprised by what you already have saved. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the excuse that “I don’t have anything so I don’t need a Will”. You are so wrong. A review of your finances will alert you to when you have named the wrong beneficiaries on accounts – or to the need to name guardians and/or trustees for monies or accounts which will pass to minor beneficiaries or disabled beneficiaries. Talk to me about the ways to do this. You may need to set up trusts in your Will for these beneficiaries. Remember that you do not need to have thousands and thousands of dollars to make a trust work to protect these people who are important to you. You may need a trust for a disabled beneficiary in order to protect the benefits he or she is receiving as a result of their disability. You may need a trust for beneficiaries who are under 18 in order to provide for them while they are young or to provide for them if they go to college.

THIRD!   You need to consider whether there are conflicts and hard feelings between certain beneficiaries, and appoint an executor or guardian or trustee who will not be sucked into the drama that seems to develop whenever money is involved. I can tell you what characteristics and skills are important for each of those jobs so that you can pick the right person to handle it. I can help you identify possible conflicts that may come up to give you time to try to deal with them now.

FOURTH!   You can only be sure that your wishes are followed if you have them written up in a Will. How will anyone know if there are charities that you wish to make gifts to? How will anyone know who you want to raise your children, especially if it isn’t your family? How will anyone know about that one particular book or piece of jewelry or painting that holds special meaning to you, which you wish to give to a particular person or organization? How will anyone know if you wish to be cremated or what your funeral or memorial service will look like? Or if you want to donate your body for research? Or not have a funeral at all? A Will and other estate planning documents will allow you to do this.

To learn more about our services at Cohen & Lombardo, P.C., simply call our Elmwood Village or Amherst office at 716-262-8428 or contact us online. We offer flexible meeting arrangements by special request.