The information requested in the attached questionnaire will assist me in advising you as to the most appropriate estate planning structure for your specific circumstances and to ensure your estate planning documents accurately reflect your wishes.
The more accurate and complete the questionnaire, the better I will be able to advise you. However, you should not spend an inordinate amount of time completing the questionnaire, as I can secure additional information through our discussion at the initial meeting and future communications.
Please understand that I will rely on the financial information supplied by you when providing estate planning advice and that, absent an express agreement with the you to the contrary, I will not make independent inquiries as to the value of your assets.
This document, once completed, will constitute a confidential communication and is therefore protected from disclosure to third parties without your express, written consent.
To the extent they are available and still in effect, please bring to our initial meeting copies of your current will, living will, medical power of attorney, general (financial) power of attorney, trust agreement, and/or any other estate planning documents, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
Please bring to our initial meeting a copy of your pre- or post-nuptial (i.e., marital) agreement, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
Please bring to our initial meeting a copy of your divorce decree, if it affects any of your property rights or imposes a current legal obligation to support a former spouse or child, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
Please bring to our initial meeting a copy of your designated beneficiary agreement, if it has not been revoked by the recording of a revocation of the same in the same county in which the designated beneficiary agreement was recorded, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
The information for your first born child is: Name: Child's nameGender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho is the other parent of this child? Other parent Is this child adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this child that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for your second born child is: Name: Child's nameGender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho is the other parent of this child? Other parent Is this child adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this child that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for your third born child is: Name: Child's nameGender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho is the other parent of this child? Other parent Is this child adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this child that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my fourth born child is: Name: Child's nameGender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho is the other parent of this child? Other parent Is this child adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this child that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my fifth born child is: Name: Child's nameGender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho is the other parent of this child? Other parent Is this child adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this child that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my first born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my second born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my third born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my fourth born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my fifth born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my sixth born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my seventh born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my eighth born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my ninth born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
The information for my tenth born grandchild is: Name: Grandchild's name Gender: Female Male Non-binaryDate of birth: DateWho are the parents of this grandchild? Parents Is this grandchild adopted? Yes NoIf there is any other information about this grandchild that you believe may be relevant, please enter it here: Other information
Please bring to our initial meeting a copy of any filed gift tax returns, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
Please bring to our initial meetig a copy of the complaint, any answer and/or counterclaim that may have been filed by you or your opponent, and any other documents you believe may be helpful for me to understand the scope and stakes of the ligitation, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
Please bring to our initial meetig a copy of the relevant will and/or trust, or send any such documents to me via email (JBN@NewellLawFirm.com) or this link (Dropbox) prior to our appointment.
Examples of such weapons include silencers, machineguns (i.e., weapons that can fire more than one shot per trigger pull), short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, cane guns, grenades, and other similarly categorized weapons and destructive devices that are neither antiques nor designated by the U.S. Attorney General as collector items unlikely to be used as weapons.
Please list the names of the persons, groups of persons, or entities (including charitable organizations) that you would like to benefit from your estate upon your death or upon the death of the surviving spouse, if you are married. When we meet to discuss your estate planning, we may review the various ways property can be distributed upon your death, depending on your responses below.
One of the most important aspects of estate planning is the selection of fiduciaries. In this context, fiduciaries are individuals, selected by you because you trust them, who are legally required to act in your best interests when they speak on your behalf as an agent, act as the guardian of your children, or administer your estate or trust following your death.
Below, I ask you enter the names, relationships, and city and state (or country) of residence for the persons you would like to fill such positions.
If you are having any trouble choosing fiduciaries, please list whoever comes to mind (you may list several for each role) and select the "let's talk about this" option. Your selections are not set in stone and may be changed at any time prior to your execution of your real estate documents.
Your personal representative (i.e., executor or PR) is the person who will administer your estate upon your death. In other words, your personal representative is tasked with taking your wishes, as expressed in your will with regard to property titled in your individual name, and not in joint tenancy or with a beneficiary designation, upon your death. This is usually a trusted family member, but can be a professional or a friend.
A trustee is someone who administers and distributes property held in trust, for the benefit of your beneficiaries. The most common reason a trustee is necessary is to ensure medium to large sums of money are not passed to minor children or adult children who are not yet sufficiently mature, in your opinion, to manage such money. Another common reason is so that your assets can be administered on behalf of someone who is disabled, incapacitated or has special needs.
As an alternative to testamentary trusts, which are created within wills, living trusts may be created during your lifetime (i.e., a grantor trust, an inter-vivos trust, or a living trust) so that you can administer your assets directly while you are living while still having in place a successor trustee if and when you become incapacitated and died. It's often the case that real estate and other assets will be titled in the name of such trusts during your lifetime.
A guardian is a court approved individual who makes decisions regarding a minor child’s support, care, education, health, and welfare.
Your agent under a durable financial power of attorney is someone authorized to make financial decisions for you during your life, particularly when you are incapacitated and cannot make decisions for yourself.
Your agent under a durable medical power of attorney is someone authorized to make medical decisions for you during your life, particularly when you are incapacitated and cannot make decisions for yourself.
Please select, and list the value of, the following assets owned solely by you or jointly with you spouse or partner. It is not necessary to provide exact figures—an approximation or average balance is sufficient. Scratch paper or the back of an envelope may be helpful in adding up amounts for each section.
Please add or correct your asset figures the foregoing sections so that your total assets are approximately correct
For the two following questions, assume that two physicians (including your attending physician) find (1) you have a terminal condition (i.e., your doctors reasonably expect your condition to result in your death within a short period of time) and (2) that you cannot effectively receive or evaluate information, or communicate decision regarding your medical care.
For the two following questions, assume that two physicians (including your attending physician) find (1) you are in a persistent vegetative state (i.e., your doctors determine you exhibiting no signs of higer brain function) and (2) that you cannot effectively receive or evaluate information, or communicate decision regarding your medical care.
If you have a terminal condition or are in a persistent vegetative state, with whom would you like your medical providers to discuss your medical situation?Name: First Name Last NameRelationship: RelationshipPhone Number: Phone NumberName: First Name Last NameRelationship: RelationshipPhone Number: Phone NumberName: First Name Last NameRelationship: RelationshipPhone Number: Phone NumberName: First Name Last NameRelationship: RelationshipPhone Number: Phone Number
NOTE: Assuming you trust that your agent under your medical power of attorney will endeavor to act in your best interests and according to your wishes to the greatest extent possible, which you should (or, if you do not, you should select someone else as you agent), the first option is usually the most appropriate. The primary reason being that terminal condition or persistent vegetative state situations can rarely be neatly categorized and the decisions that must be made are rarely easy. Many of us picture the extreme scenarios, like the Terri Schiavo case, for example. But, in most cases, there are a number of relevant factors to consider before making decisions, which is why your medical power of attorney is one of the most important estate planning documents you will execute. Your living will is at its best when it provides some guidance to your agent when he or she is making tough decisions on your behalf. To help ensure your living will does not become an unwelcome obstacle, as opposed to what it should be: a source of general guidance, it’s usually best to empower your agent to take a course of action that differs from your wishes as expressed in your living will, as only your agent can evaluate the actual facts and circumstances as they exist and make reasoned judgments regarding your care.
A tradtional burial usually entails embalming of the body and its burial in a casket. Traditional burials may take place at almost any cemetery. A natural burial is one in which the body is usually not embalmed, is placed in a shroud and is buried directly in the soil (rather than a casket) so as to not inhibit decomposition. Natural burials are not allowed at all cemeteries.
How my body will be disposed of will be determined by: First Name Last Name. If the aforementioned person is unable or unwilling to act, then my body will be disposed of as determined by: First Name Last Name.
My funeral or memorial service arrangements will be made by: First Name Last Name. If the aforementioned person is unable or unwilling to act, then arrangements for my funeral or memorial service will be made by: First Name Last Name.