Charleston Estate Planning Attorneys

Types of Estate Matters Our Charleston Firm Can Help With

Estate planning is a way for you to plan for the future, including for times after you pass away. Using a variety of legal tools, you can create an estate plan that reflects your wishes and benefits your loved ones. Whether you want to make sure you get the medical treatments you prefer should you become incapacitated or want to leave a business behind to a loved one, our attorneys can find the estate planning tool you need.

Your estate plan might benefit from these estate planning tools and more:

• Wills: Most estate plans are built around a will (last will and testament) that outlines the wishes of the testator (person making the will or estate plan). The main purpose of a will is to direct assets to beneficiaries after you pass away.
• Trusts: You can place important assets into different types of trusts to protect them from liabilities and misuse. Assets placed in a trust are technically owned by that trust, which can make transferring ownership once you pass away much less complicated.
• Advance/medical directive: If you have specific medical needs or preferences, we can outline them in an advance or medical directive. This official document instructs medical providers and your loved ones on how to care for you if you become incapacitated and cannot clearly communicate your wishes.
• Estate administration: We offer estate administration services for anyone who needs help managing an estate or navigating probate. Let us act on your behalf, so you can focus on your family, not legal complications.

Estate Planning for Retirees in Charleston

Charleston, SC, is a fantastic community to call home when you retire, which is why it is no surprise that our city has a large population of retirees. To provide reliable legal counsel, our attorneys are familiar with the many questions and concerns that retirees tend to have during estate planning that other demographics might not.

As a retiree, you might have questions about:

• Folding your retirement plan into your estate plan
• Naming beneficiaries for your most valuable assets
• Minimizing estate taxes
• Including life insurance in your estate plan or value
• Avoiding family disputes over your will
• Assigning transfer on death designations

Protecting Your Beach House

Near Charleston are some of the best beaches in the nation for beach homes and beachfront properties. If you own a beach house in the area, you’ll want to protect it from estate taxes and other forms of liability that can detract from its value. Our attorneys can help you create an estate plan that protects your beach house, so your family can keep enjoying it after you are gone.

We can help if you own a beach house on:

• Isle of Palms
• Kiawah Island
• Seabrook Island
• Sullivan’s Island
• Folly Beach
• Other South Carolina beaches

Charleston Estate Tax Laws

Charleston County does not have a county-specific tax law that can impact your estate and assets. South Carolina does not use an estate tax or inheritance tax, either, which is good news for you and your beneficiaries. However, the state still follows the federal estate tax that can be imposed on estates that pass the exemption threshold. Our attorneys can help you understand if this federal estate tax will apply to your case and what to do to minimize its impact if it does.

Benefits of Hiring a Charleston Lawyer for Your Estate Plan

If you hire our Charleston estate planning lawyers, you can appreciate our:

• Legal knowledge: Our attorneys know all South Carolina and federal laws that could impact your estate plan. Make our legal knowledge effectively your own by letting us guide and represent you.
• Timeliness: If any deadlines apply to your estate planning case, putting us in charge can help make sure you don’t miss any of them.
• Dedication: We are fully dedicated to doing the most for our clients. We stay informed of new legislation, use creative and personalized strategies to form unique estate plans, and act as your moral supporters throughout the case.