Rickard & Associates

Estate Planning Attorneys in St. Clair Shores, Michigan

Estate planning is not something most families complete once and never revisit. A marriage, the birth of a child, a second marriage, retirement, declining health, or the purchase of a business can all create reasons to review existing documents and make sure they still reflect current wishes. Rickard & Associates helps individuals and families develop estate plans that can adapt as life changes while also providing guidance during probate and trust administration after a loved one's death.

The firm's estate planning practice includes wills, trusts, powers of attorney, guardianship planning, business succession planning, probate, trust administration, and estate litigation.

Estate Planning That Grows with Your Family

An estate plan should reflect more than a person's current assets. It should also account for changing family relationships and future responsibilities.

Rickard & Associates prepares wills, revocable trusts, pour-over wills, and related estate planning documents for clients at different stages of life. A young adult may simply want to designate someone to make financial and medical decisions during an emergency, while parents may be focused on protecting minor children. Later in life, the same plan may need to be updated following retirement, the birth of grandchildren, or changes in financial circumstances.

Regular reviews can help ensure that an estate plan continues to match a family's goals rather than relying on documents prepared many years earlier.

Planning for Incapacity

Estate planning also provides instructions for situations that occur during a person's lifetime. An unexpected illness or accident may leave someone unable to manage finances or communicate medical decisions.

Rickard & Associates prepares financial powers of attorney and medical powers of attorney that allow clients to choose trusted individuals to act on their behalf if necessary. Establishing these documents before they are needed can provide families with clear legal authority during periods of incapacity.

The firm also prepares personal property memorandums and deeds that can be coordinated with an overall estate plan when appropriate.

Planning for Children, Blended Families, and Family Businesses

Families often have concerns that extend beyond simply dividing property equally among beneficiaries.

Parents may wish to nominate guardians for minor children and decide when a child should receive an inheritance rather than leaving substantial assets at age eighteen. Blended families may need to balance providing for a surviving spouse while preserving an inheritance for children from an earlier relationship. Business owners may also want to establish a succession plan so ownership can transition according to their wishes instead of creating uncertainty for family members or business partners.

Rickard & Associates helps clients address these issues as part of a coordinated estate plan.

Probate and Trust Administration

Following a death, personal representatives and successor trustees often assume responsibilities they have never handled before. They may need to locate assets, pay valid debts, communicate with beneficiaries, maintain records, and distribute property according to the terms of a will or trust.

Rickard & Associates assists fiduciaries throughout probate and trust administration, helping them understand their legal responsibilities while working toward the orderly settlement of an estate.

Estate Litigation

Not every estate is administered without disagreement. Questions may arise about how estate planning documents should be interpreted, whether a fiduciary is fulfilling required responsibilities, or how property should be distributed.

Rickard & Associates represents clients in estate litigation involving disputes that arise during probate or trust administration. Legal guidance may help families resolve issues while protecting the intentions expressed in the estate plan.

Serving Families Throughout Macomb County

Rickard & Associates welcomes clients at its Greater Mack Avenue office in St. Clair Shores and assists individuals and families from communities throughout Macomb County. Whether preparing an estate plan for the first time, updating documents after major life changes, or administering an estate following a loved one's death, the firm provides legal guidance tailored to each family's circumstances.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Revocable Trusts

• Pour-Over Wills

• Financial Powers of Attorney

• Medical Powers of Attorney

• Personal Property Memorandums

• Deeds for Estate Planning

• Guardianship Planning

• Business Succession Planning

• Probate

• Estate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Estate Litigation