Piedmont Trusts & Estates
assists clients with estate, gift, and generation-skipping tax planning issues,
including complex estate freeze techniques, charitable planning, and special needs
trusts. Piedmont Trusts & Estates also advises clients on will and trust planning to ensure that assets will be protected and will ultimately pass in an efficient manner of the client's choosing.
Piedmont Trusts & Estates' pricing for estate planning is very competitive. Fixed fees are customary for most estate planning, and with concerted efforts to maintain low overhead, these fees are far below those of large law firm competitors. The initial consultation is free, and fees are only charged if the client decides to proceed.
However, Piedmont Trusts & Estates does not just compete on price. Delivering sophisticated planning techniques typically associated with elite, large firm practices, we also deliver superior service that has become increasingly impossible at large firms. This begins with the initial meeting, where we take the time to understand the client’s individual concerns and explain how various estate planning tools may be available to address specific client objectives (including tax, creditor or personal). This is felt in the document preparation, where clients are not pushed into templates, but receive customized documents that begin with the client’s goals and objectives. Even after documents are executed, we work with financial advisers to assist in making recommended changes to titling of assets, and we are always glad to hear from a client (or client's financial adviser) to answer a quick question.
All estate planning includes drafting of:
· Will (primarily to designate guardian of minor children)
· Revocable trust (to streamline administration of the estate and enhance privacy of dispositions)
· Financial power of attorney (in case of incapacity during lifetime)
· Advance medical directive (for healthcare decisions)
These documents typically reflect basic tax planning as well, designed to ensure efficient use of all available federal and state tax exemptions while balancing capital gains considerations, including through the use of family trusts and marital trusts, and reflect critical personal decisions, including the terms of trusts for children or a surviving spouse.
More advanced estate planning includes a variety of tools that may be appropriate for higher net worth individuals, including:
· Generation skipping transfer tax planning (through the use of dynasty trusts)
· Lifetime gifts to children
· Grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs)
· Life insurance trusts
· Qualified personal residence trusts (QPRTs)
· Family limited liability companies
More advanced estate planning may also be warranted for clients based on complex personal circumstances, including planning for unmarried couples, special needs trusts for client’s children, or clients with international exposure (see separate tab above), or for clients with substantial charitable inclinations, including charitable lead trusts, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable gift annuities.
Piedmont Trusts & Estates' pricing for estate planning is very competitive. Fixed fees are customary for most estate planning, and with concerted efforts to maintain low overhead, these fees are far below those of large law firm competitors. The initial consultation is free, and fees are only charged if the client decides to proceed.
However, Piedmont Trusts & Estates does not just compete on price. Delivering sophisticated planning techniques typically associated with elite, large firm practices, we also deliver superior service that has become increasingly impossible at large firms. This begins with the initial meeting, where we take the time to understand the client’s individual concerns and explain how various estate planning tools may be available to address specific client objectives (including tax, creditor or personal). This is felt in the document preparation, where clients are not pushed into templates, but receive customized documents that begin with the client’s goals and objectives. Even after documents are executed, we work with financial advisers to assist in making recommended changes to titling of assets, and we are always glad to hear from a client (or client's financial adviser) to answer a quick question.
All estate planning includes drafting of:
· Will (primarily to designate guardian of minor children)
· Revocable trust (to streamline administration of the estate and enhance privacy of dispositions)
· Financial power of attorney (in case of incapacity during lifetime)
· Advance medical directive (for healthcare decisions)
These documents typically reflect basic tax planning as well, designed to ensure efficient use of all available federal and state tax exemptions while balancing capital gains considerations, including through the use of family trusts and marital trusts, and reflect critical personal decisions, including the terms of trusts for children or a surviving spouse.
More advanced estate planning includes a variety of tools that may be appropriate for higher net worth individuals, including:
· Generation skipping transfer tax planning (through the use of dynasty trusts)
· Lifetime gifts to children
· Grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs)
· Life insurance trusts
· Qualified personal residence trusts (QPRTs)
· Family limited liability companies
More advanced estate planning may also be warranted for clients based on complex personal circumstances, including planning for unmarried couples, special needs trusts for client’s children, or clients with international exposure (see separate tab above), or for clients with substantial charitable inclinations, including charitable lead trusts, charitable remainder trusts, and charitable gift annuities.