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Estate Planning and Probate

Your estate is comprised of everything you own— your car, home, checking and savings accounts, investments, life insurance, furniture and personal possessions. No matter how large or how modest, everyone has an estate.

Estate planning is making a plan in advance and naming whom you want to receive the things and how you want your affairs carried out after you die or become incapacitated. However, good estate planning is much more than that, it also includes:

  • Instructions for passing your values (religion, education, hard work, etc.) in addition to your valuables

  • Instructions for your care if you become disabled before you die

  • Naming a guardian and an inheritance manager for minor children

  • Providing for family members with special needs without disrupting government benefits

  • Providing for loved ones who might be irresponsible with money or who may need future protection from creditors or divorce

  • Life insurance to provide for your family at your death, disability income insurance to replace your income if you cannot work due to illness or injury, and long-term care insurance to help pay for your care in case of an extended illness or injury

  • The transfer of your business at your retirement, disability, or death

  • Minimizing taxes, court costs, and unnecessary legal fees

  • An ongoing process of reviewing and updating as your family, financial situations and laws change over

  • Post-death trust administration

  • Planning for retirement plan benefits

  • Charitable planning

The Law Office of Eric J. Holmes, PLLC can advise, draft and execute items such as:

  • Designing and the preparation of estate planning documentation, including Wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, special needs trusts, qualified personal residence trusts, charitable trusts, intentionally defective grantor trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts, and family limited partnerships

  • Durable Power of Attorney

  • Healthcare Power of Attorney

  • Estate and gift tax counseling

  • Preparation of estate tax returns

  • Represent clients in probate proceedings

  • Estate and trust administration for individual and corporate fiduciaries

  • Development of effective wealth transfer planning strategies and techniques

Probate is the legal process of taking assets of the deceased and transferring them to living person or entity. The Law Office of Eric J. Holmes, PLLC helps you control how assets are given to the people or organizations you care most about. To ensure your wishes are carried out, we aid with providing instructions stating whom you want to receive something of yours, what you want them to receive, and when they are to receive it with the least amount paid in taxes, legal fees, and court costs.

The Law Office of Eric J. Holmes, PLLC has experience in the area of gift, estate and tax planning for all size estates. Client base includes business owners, professionals in sole and group practices, corporate executives, educators, retirees and individuals with special needs.


Licensed In Michigan