The Estate is the total property, real and personal, owned by an individual prior to distribution through a trust or will. Real property includes real estate, while personal property includes everything else a person owns such as money in bank accounts, stocks, bonds, cars, and household items, for example.

Estate Planning covers the transfer of real and personal property at death as well as a variety of other personal matters and may or may not involve tax planning. The two items most often associated with Estate Planning are Wills and Trusts.

A will is a writing specifying the beneficiaries who are to inherit the testator's (i.e. the deceased) assets and naming a representative to administer the estate and be responsible for distributing the assets to beneficiaries.

A trust is an arrangement whereby property is legally owned and managed by an individual, a group of individuals or corporate fiduciary as trustee for the benefit of another, called a beneficiary. The trustee manages and distributes the trust property in accordance with the trust instrument. A trustee has the duty to act in the best interests of the trust and the beneficiaries and in accordance with the terms of the trust instrument.

Each client's case is unique based on the goals, needs and overall family and financial situation of the client. It is impossible for a professional estate planner to successfully devise a proper estate plan without knowing many specific details about the client. In order to help clients organize their estate plan and to keep legal fees at a minimum, we have prepared the following Estate Planning Organizer for clients to fill out prior to an initial consultation.

This form should help clients get started with the estate planning process. Please be advised that this form is for organizational purposes only and is not an official legal document and using this form in no way creates an attorney-client relationship between the user and The Law Office of Brian P. Buchert, P.A.

Please print and fill out the following form before your initial consultation.

Download Estate Planning Organizer PDF (0.4MB)

Contact The Law Office of Brian P. Buchert, P.A. (link), to speak with an experienced Tampa, Florida lawyer regarding the details of your association or case. Contact Us.