Overview
Estate planning is mostly about making decisions now so that somebody else does not have to guess later: who acts for you if you cannot, who raises your children, and where what you own goes.
The firm prepares wills, powers of attorney and health care directives for individuals and families, and coordinates that planning with real estate and business ownership where those are part of the picture.
What this covers
- Wills, including guardianship provisions for minor children
- Financial powers of attorney
- Health care powers of attorney and living wills
- Trusts, including testamentary trusts and trusts for beneficiaries with special needs
- Beneficiary designations, and how they interact with the will
- Titling of real estate and business interests as part of the plan
- Reviewing and updating documents that are already in place
Worth knowing in Pennsylvania
A power of attorney has formal requirements — and banks check.
Pennsylvania requires the document to be signed before a notary and two witnesses, with the statutory notice and acknowledgment pages included. A downloaded form missing those pages may simply be refused when it is finally needed.
Your will does not control everything you own.
Retirement accounts, life insurance and anything with a named beneficiary pass outside the will. A plan that updates only the will can miss most of the estate.
No estate tax, but there is an inheritance tax.
Pennsylvania has no state estate tax. It does have an inheritance tax that reaches most transfers at death — which is often what makes the difference between planning approaches.
A will need not be notarized, but it should be.
Notarization is not required for validity. A self-proving affidavit, which is notarized at signing, spares your executor from locating witnesses years later.
General information about Pennsylvania law, current as of publication. It is not legal advice, and every matter turns on its own facts — call the firm to talk about yours.
Attorneys in this area
Katherine A. Haberl-ThomasEstate Planning, alongside elder law, real estate and family law.
Paul A. Bell, IIEstate Planning. Paul has more than 40 years practicing law in Indiana County, with estate planning and administration among his primary practice areas.
Montgomery V. BellEstate Planning, alongside estate administration, real estate and business law.
Have a estate planning matter? We'd be glad to help.
Call the firm to talk it through, or see the full range of what Haberl, Buell, Rice & Bell handles.