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Click here to download our Estate Planning Worksheet.
Estate Planning is a dynamic process designed to address your welfare and needs, plan for your own
personal and health care if you are no longer able to do so, position your assets for easy transfer,
protect your minor children by designating guardians, minimize transfer or estate taxes, and avoid the
time and expense of probate.
The probate and estate planning attorneys at Bolhouse, Vander Hulst, Risko, Baar & Lefere are skilled at helping a diverse range
of clients, from young families with small children to senior citizens enjoying retirement. We work
with Grand Rapids and West Michigan area clients who have very small estates as well as those whose assets are valued in the millions of
dollars. We provide a wide range of estate planning services from simple wills and powers of attorney
all the way to complex living trusts and sophisticated business succession plans.
Because tax laws affecting estate planning change often, we continually monitor legislative activity
and attend continuing legal education classes to maintain our expertise. In addition, we regularly
conduct Estate Planning Seminars for our clients in cooperation with the AARP (American Association of
Retired Persons) through our participation in their Legal Services Network.
Comprehensive estate planning/probate services for individuals and families include:
- Establishing living trusts to avoid probate
- Creating succession plans for transferring family businesses
- Minimizing, deferring or eliminating death and gift taxes
- Designating guardians and creating custodianships to protect minor children
- Establishing discretionary trusts to preserve governmental benefits for the elderly or disabled
- Planning for disability by:
- Creating durable powers of attorney and living trusts designed to avoid probate
- Creating patient advocate designation and living wills to address medical treatment concerns
- Preserving benefits through careful Medicaid planning
- Representing clients in all matters involving probate court including:
- Administering decedents' estates
- Handling probate disputes such as will contests and claims against estates
- Representing clients in guardianship and conservatorship matters
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