You’ve worked hard to build wealth for your family, you want that money protected. But without the right estate plan, your assets could be depleted by taxes, probate fees, mismanagement, divorces, lawsuits and other drains. At Roulet Law Firm, we specialize in creating customized plans to shield your legacy. With over 30 years of experience, attorney Chuck Roulet has helped hundreds of Minnesota and Florida families safeguard their wealth through sophisticated strategies.
Failing to plan properly could put your family’s future at risk in several ways:
- Probate Fees - Without a revocable trust, your estate must go through probate after you pass. This public process can drain 3% or more of your assets
- Estate Taxes - Federal and state taxes can consume up to 40%, or more, of any assets over exemption limits. This leaves less for your family
- Lawsuits & Creditors - Your estate will be vulnerable to any outstanding claims against you if not adequately protected
- New Marriages - If a surviving spouse remarries, assets could end up with people you did not intend
- Blended Families - Assets can flow into unintended hands without customized planning
- Mismanagement - Without guidance, heirs may not invest or use their inheritance wisely
- Divorces and Creditor's Claims - Your children could lose their inheritance if they divorce, get sued or suffer a bankruptcy due to a job loss or health emergency
By working with us to implement strategies like revocable trusts, charitable trusts and insurance trusts, we can help you:
- Avoid probate so more assets transfer privately to beneficiaries
- Shelter your estate from estate taxes to maximize your legacy
- Shield assets from lawsuits and creditors
- Ensure proper management of your legacy by your heirs
- Provide for your spouse while preserving assets for children
- Protect the money you leave for your children in the event they get divorced, get sued or suffer a medical emergency and from taxes in their own estate
Customized Protection: Every family’s situation is unique. We take the time to understand your goals, values and concerns to design an estate plan tailored to you. Strategies we commonly implement for clients include:
- Bypass and Credit Shelter Trusts - Provide income for a surviving spouse while preserving assets
- QTIP Trusts - Allow control over distribution of estate to beneficiaries
- Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts - Exclude life insurance death benefits from your estate
- SLATs - Allow continued access to assets placed in trust for heirs while minimizing estate taxes
- Charitable Trusts - Fund causes you care about while generating tax benefits
- GRATs/GRUTs - Potentially transfer asset appreciation tax-free
- Dynasty Trusts - Establish legacy trusts that span generations
- Lifetime Asset Protection Trusts - Establish trusts to protect your children and grandchildren in the event they divorce or get sued
- Retirement Asset Protection - Shield IRAs/401(k)s from taxes, misuse and creditors
- Asset Protection Trusts - Protect your home and savings from lawsuits and potential claims against you
Whether your priority is tax savings, creditor protection, or leaving a lasting legacy, we have the solutions. If you are ready to update your existing plan, or to create a plan, give us a call today at our Venice, Florida office at (941) 909-4644 serving families in Venice, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and the surronding area, or our Minnetonka, Minnesota office at (763) 420-5087 serving families in Plymouth, Hopkins, Maple Grove, Edina, Eden Prairie and throughout the twin cities metro. Or fill out the form on the side and a member of our team will contact you to schedule an appointment.
If you are not yet ready to update your plan or to put a plan in place, we have a number of ree resources available to answer your questions. Register for our free online masterclass if you would like to learn more about how sophisticated planning can make it as easy and inexpensive as possible for your family to manage your affairs during incapacity and after passing, while ensuring your assets only go to whom you want and how you want.
