Expert Home Care delivers elder care services to the home. We help seniors in New Jersey plan for long term care. Here’s more information on whether you should consider a will or a living trust for your estate planning in NJ. We can be reached at (800) 848-2336.
Wills
Wills are easier to set up. Wills can be less expensive to create and change. It allows you to name a guardian to care for minor children, something that’s not possible with a living trust, unless you implement a supplemental document with the will.
If you have debts, creditors face a cutoff date for bringing claims against your estate. They cannot seek assets from beneficiaries once ownership is transferred.
Living Trusts
For smaller estates, the setup and maintenance costs for a living trust may outweigh any “after “death savings. Yet estate planning attorneys, may say that a living trust is a more economical route, especially for those having an estate over $2 million for the 2008 tax year.
A will speaks for you only after you die. A living trust can help you while you’re alive a living trust can sometimes minimize probate at death.
Seniors in NJ should keep in mind when determing which to put in place that neither will change how property you own with another person is distributed at your death. And neither will affect assets with a designated beneficiary, such as individual retirement accounts or life insurance.
New Jersey Seniors – Beware of scams!
Beware of “free lunch” estate planning seminars and other scams that suggest that AARP endorses living trusts. AARP does not sell or endorse any living trust product. And trusts sold through these schemes often are more costly and don’t comply with state law.
- NJ Home Health Care Client Bill of Rights - March 12, 2019
- Senior Home Care Preparation For New Jersey Families - December 17, 2018
- Elder Abuse More Common Than Thought - December 10, 2018
