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Practical, Functional, and Seamless Estate Plans

When you’re ready to put your affairs in order, you want an estate plan that’s comprehensive enough to ensure your goals are met, but simple enough that you can maintain it and implement it. A comprehensive estate plan may be a bit more costly at the initial stage, but when done properly it will:

• Avoid the cost and delays of probate
• Avoid or minimize estate tax
• Minimize the cost of attorney’s fees now and later

I am Maryland estate planning attorney D. Gregory Howard, and I take a practical approach to estate planning. My goal is to ensure that every family, even those with the complex estates or family-owned businesses, has a plan in place that is understandable and manageable.

Contact my Owings Mills, Annapolis, or Elkton law office to learn more about how I can help you with estate planning, elder law planning, and probate.

Maryland Estate Planning

Some families take great pains to avoid the cost of probate, but find themselves using an expensive lawyer again and again because their estate plan is too cumbersome and complicated for them to handle. Their attorney may have kept all original documents, may have named him or herself as the fiduciary agent, or, by failing to stay on top of the estate, may force some matters into probate. All of this can lead to more legal fees.

As your Maryland estate planning attorney, my approach is to help you avoid probate as well as avoid (or minimize) the need for continuing legal help. A trust or combination of trusts can provide for the seamless transfer of assets from generation to generation and can minimize legal fees later on.

Elder Law and Asset Protection Planning

Elder law is a relatively new area of the law that deals with issues of asset protection and end-of-life care for elderly persons. Loving families who want what’s best for their elders, sometimes find themselves buying costly products they don’t need or making medical or nursing home care decisions without fully understanding the financial and the human cost of those decisions.

Proper planning can shelter family assets, allowing your elder parent to access Medicaid benefits when they need them while still ensuring money and resources are available for a healthy spouse. I understand that every family situation is different. In some cases it may be wise to pay for the best care possible for as long as possible, and then spending down assets to qualify for Medicaid assistance.

Understanding the pros and cons of each course of action can help you make the best decision during difficult times. Contact my law office or call (800) 382-4488 to schedule a free initial consultation.

Probate and Estate Administration

When people fail to plan, their estates end up in Maryland probate court. Probate is a legal process that deals with the assets and property of a deceased person in an organized way that is supervised by the court. Usually this process is handled by a lay person—a friend or family member—who may have little experience with probate court.

At the Law Offices of D. Gregory Howard, I help executors and personal representatives through the probate process. I can handle as much or as little of the process as necessary, including the identification of assets, payment of taxes, sale of personal property and other holdings, as well as the ultimate distribution of property to beneficiaries. If the services of an accountant or financial planner are required, I can provide referrals.

Law Offices of D. Gregory Howard, P.A.
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Maryland lawyer D. Gregory Howard provides legal services in estate planning and probate, business law, real estate law, and aviation law to clients throughout Maryland. With offices in Baltimore, Annapolis and Elkton, Attorney Howard serves every community in the state, including Cumberland, Columbia, Severna Park, Reisterstown, Owings Mills, North East, Towson, Sparks, Westminster, Perryville and Havre de Grace.