Heritier Nance & Smothers

Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys in Troy, Michigan

An estate plan may need to coordinate wills and trusts with deeds, beneficiary designations, business ownership and tax considerations. If those arrangements do not work together, property may pass differently from what the family expected.

Heritier Nance & Smothers, P.C. assists individuals, families, trustees and personal representatives with estate planning, trust administration and probate. The firm also practices business and corporate law and commercial and residential real estate, allowing those matters to be addressed when they overlap with the ownership or transfer of estate property.

The attorneys also work with clients’ accountants and financial advisors when an estate plan requires coordination with broader tax, investment or business arrangements.

When an Estate Plan Hasn't Been Updated in Years

An estate plan that once reflected a family's wishes may no longer accomplish its intended goals after marriages, divorces, births, deaths, retirement, or significant changes in assets.

Heritier Nance & Smothers helps clients review and update existing estate plans to account for changing family circumstances and evolving financial situations. The firm's planning may include wills, revocable and irrevocable trusts, durable financial powers of attorney, patient advocate designations, deeds, and beneficiary designation reviews so that the documents, ownership arrangements and beneficiary designations do not give conflicting instructions.

Making Sure Assets Pass the Way You Intended

Many valuable assets pass outside of a will. Retirement accounts, life insurance policies, jointly owned property, and payable-on-death accounts are often distributed according to beneficiary designations or ownership arrangements rather than the terms of an estate plan.

The firm places particular emphasis on coordinating these non-probate assets with clients' overall estate plans. By reviewing deeds, beneficiary designations, and trust provisions together, the attorneys help reduce the risk that conflicting documents could produce unintended results.

Planning for Families With Significant Assets

Some estate plans require additional consideration because of the size or complexity of the estate. Tax consequences, charitable goals, family businesses, investment property, and multigenerational wealth transfers may all influence the planning process.

Heritier Nance & Smothers advises clients on charitable trusts, life-insurance trusts, IRA trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts and Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts. Its work also includes planning involving estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxes. The firm prepares estate and gift tax returns when required. The firm also prepares estate and gift tax returns when appropriate as part of its estate planning practice.

Helping a Successor Trustee Carry Out Their Responsibilities

Serving as a trustee can involve legal and financial responsibilities that many individuals have never handled before. Managing trust assets, communicating with beneficiaries, maintaining records, and making distributions all require careful attention to the terms of the trust.

The attorneys assist successor trustees with trust administration, providing guidance throughout the administration process so fiduciaries understand their responsibilities and the legal requirements associated with carrying out a trust.

Guiding Families Through Probate Administration

Following the death of a loved one, personal representatives are often responsible for navigating unfamiliar court procedures while managing numerous administrative tasks.

Heritier Nance & Smothers assists with probate administration from the initial court filings through the final distribution of estate assets. The firm helps personal representatives prepare required petitions, inventories, creditor notices, accountings, tax filings, and other documents while providing guidance through each stage of the probate process.

When Business and Estate Planning Need to Work Together

Business ownership often creates estate planning issues that extend beyond transferring personal assets. Ownership interests, succession planning, and real estate holdings may all affect how an estate should be structured. 

Because the firm also handles business and real-estate matters, its attorneys can consider company ownership, succession arrangements, deeds and substantial real-property interests when preparing or updating an estate plan. These issues may affect who receives an ownership interest, who can manage the company or property and whether additional agreements are needed.

Serving Troy, Metropolitan Detroit & Clients Throughout Michigan

Heritier Nance & Smothers, P.C. is located in Troy and serves clients in metropolitan Detroit and throughout Michigan. Its estate-related services include estate planning, trust administration and probate, with additional assistance available when business ownership or real estate affects the matter.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Revocable Trusts

• Irrevocable Trusts

• Trust Administration

• Probate Administration

• Financial Powers of Attorney

• Patient Advocate Designations

• Charitable Trusts

• IRA Trusts

• Life Insurance Trusts

• Qualified Personal Residence Trusts (QPRTs)

• Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs)

• Estate Tax Planning

• Gift Tax Planning

• Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Planning

• Estate and Gift Tax Returns

• Business Succession Planning

• Deed Preparation

• Beneficiary Designation Planning