Oklahoma City Estate Planning Attorneys

Estate Planning Guidance in Oklahoma City and the Surrounding Areas

At the Self Legal Group, we can help you create a comprehensive estate plan that protects the things most important to you. Our Oklahoma City estate planning lawyers can assist you with wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advanced health care directives, asset protection tools, and more. We have over 150 years of collective legal experience and use our diverse skills to deliver exceptional results.

Do not wait to build your estate plan. Schedule an Initial Phone Consultation by calling (405) 451-3534 or contacting us online today.

Understanding Your Estate Planning Options

Our goal when creating your estate plan is to protect your assets and preserve your wealth as much as possible. If you are new to estate planning, it is important to understand the many tools available to you.

Our Oklahoma City estate planning attorneys can assist you with many types of instruments, including:

• Wills. Your will allows you to name beneficiaries to assets, a guardian to your minor children, and a personal representative to oversee your estate. The contents of this document will eventually become public in probate. 
• Trusts. A trust is an arrangement in which a trustee manages assets for beneficiaries. There are many types of trusts – some modifiable, some not – and they are often used to assist with asset distribution once you are gone. The contents of trusts remain private and skip the probate process.
• Powers of Attorney. When you appoint an agent as your power of attorney, you give them the legal ability to do things on your behalf. You get to choose the extent of their abilities, and there are different types of agents. A legal power of attorney can sign documents and pay bills, for example, while a medical power of attorney provides guidance in health care emergencies. You can set your agent’s powers to “spring” when you become incapacitated. 
• Advanced Health Care Directives. In an advanced health care directive, you can specify the types of medical treatment you wish to receive or not receive if you become unable to communicate. Many people include instructions for certain types of medication, inherently risky surgery, end-of-life care, and other scenarios. 
• Asset Protection Strategies. Irrevocable trusts and other estate planning tools are often used to achieve asset protection. 

Building an effective estate plan takes more than writing down and signing a piece of paper containing instructions. Each estate planning document must meet certain requirements and be properly validated to be enforceable. More complex tools, like trusts, require more thorough consideration and ongoing management. Our team at the Self Legal Group can help you take all procedural steps necessary to ensure your documents are clear and enforceable.  

You must take the time to establish an estate plan, no matter your health, age, or financial circumstances. If you become incapacitated without powers of attorney or advanced health care directives, your loved ones will have a much more difficult time advocating for you. If you pass away without a will or trust, your estate property will most likely be subject to Oklahoma’s intestacy laws, meaning you will get no say in who receives your assets. 

Updating Your Estate Plan

As your life changes, so should your estate plan. It is generally a good idea to look over your estate planning documents every few years, even if it feels like nothing has substantially changed. Furthermore, certain significant life events should trigger an immediate review of your estate plan.

Discuss changes to your documents with our Oklahoma City estate planning lawyers if:

• You get married or divorced
• You have a child or grandchild
• Your child becomes a legal adult
• You experience a significant change in financial circumstances
• You move to a new state
• A beneficiary, personal representative, trustee, or power of attorney passes away
• Circumstances involving a beneficiary, personal representative, trustee, or power of attorney change

Start exploring your estate planning and asset protection options today. Contact us online or call (405) 451-3534 to get started.