Let Our Estate Planning Attorneys Provide Your Family the Peace of Mind You Deserve
Planning ahead doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re just getting started or updating an old plan, we’re here to help make sense of it all. At our firm, we don’t “speak lawyer” — we use plain language and take the time to really listen. We’ll walk you through everything step by step, help you protect what matters most, and make sure your wishes are clear and your loved ones are taken care of. Our experienced Michigan estate planning attorneys in Howell will work with you to create a plan that reflects your values, protects your future, and gives you peace of mind no matter what lies ahead. You’ve come to the right place.
Table of Contents
- The Benefits of Estate Planning
- Important Parts of Your Estate Plan
- Reasons to Start an Estate Plan
- 5 Common Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid
- When Should I Start Estate Planning?
- Top 5 Reasons to Meet With a Estate Planning Lawyer
- How to Find the Best Estate Planning Attorney
- Get Started Creating a Plan That Fits Your Unique Needs
The Benefits of Estate Planning
A good plan gives you control, protection, and peace of mind. The right estate plan will safeguard your assets while you’re alive, make sure your wishes are honored after you’re gone, and provide for future generations. Every family’s situation is different, which is why our estate planning attorneys take the time to design a plan that’s built just for you.
- Control how and when your assets are distributed after you pass away
- Decide exactly how and when your assets will be passed on after you’re gone.
- Create wills, trusts, and powers of attorney that match your goals and your family’s needs.
- Choose a guardian you trust to care for your minor children.
- Appoint the people you want to make medical and financial decisions if you can’t do so yourself.
- Avoid the delays, lack of privacy, and frustration of Michigan’s probate process.
- Protect your heirs’ inheritances from creditors, lawsuits, divorce, remarriage, and other risks.
- Plan ahead to safeguard your home and savings from nursing home or long-term care costs.
- Reduce or even eliminate estate, gift, and other taxes.
- Pass on your values, work ethic, and sense of responsibility—not just your assets.
- Leave a meaningful legacy for the people and causes you care about most.
- Enjoy greater peace of mind, knowing everything is in order.
Important Parts of Your Estate Plan
A basic estate plan includes a trust, Last Will and Testament, durable powers of attorney, and the appropriate Patient Advocate Designations.
Last Will and Testament
A will is your voice when you’re no longer here. It lets you choose who will be in charge of carrying out your wishes (called a personal representative) and decide exactly “who gets what”— from important financial assets to treasured family keepsakes. If you have minor children, your will can also name the guardians you trust to care for them.
It’s important to remember that all wills in Michigan must go through probate. That’s why we make sure you understand exactly how your will fits into your overall estate plan—so you can be confident it will work the way you intend for you and your family.
Durable Powers of Attorney
A Durable powers of attorney makes sure someone you trust can handle your finances if you can’t. You choose the person who will step in to pay bills, manage accounts, and take care of other financial matters if you become incapacitated.
But not all powers of attorney are created equal. In fact, more than half of the ones we review are missing critical provisions—especially those that allow your loved ones to protect your assets if you ever need nursing home or long-term care.
Michigan’s power of attorney law changed in 2012 and again in July of 2025, so if your power of attorney hasn’t been updated recently—or if it wasn’t prepared by an attorney who focuses on elder law and asset protection—it’s a good idea to have it reviewed. We’re happy to take a look and make sure your power of attorney gives you and your family the protection you need.
Patient Advocate Designations
A Patient Advocate Designations lets you make your wishes known, even if you can’t speak for yourself. You decide in advance the kind of medical care you want if illness or injury leaves you unable to communicate, and who will carry out your wishes.
Alongside this, a universal HIPAA authorization ensures your loved ones can access important information about your condition when they need it most—so they can support you and make decisions in line with your wishes.
Trusts
Many of our clients want to protect their assets from probate, taxes, and long-term care costs—and trusts can be a powerful way to do that. With the right planning, revocable and irrevocable trusts allow you to safeguard your home and life savings while still keeping control over your assets.
One of the most common types of trusts we use is the revocable living trust. It lets you stay in charge of your assets during your lifetime and after your passing—while also avoiding Michigan probate. With a revocable living trust, you can change trustees or beneficiaries at any time, manage and control the trust’s investments, receive income from the trust, and add or remove assets whenever you want. You can transfer your assets into the trust all at once or over time, and you can continue adding new assets as you acquire them. Best of all, you keep control while still putting important protections in place—helping shield your estate from probate and unnecessary court costs.
An irrevocable trust is a specialized type of trust that can protect you from lawsuits and even the high expenses of long-term care.
Reasons to Start an Estate Plan
Estate planning is about more than paperwork—it’s about making sure your wishes are honored and your loved ones are protected. With a solid plan in place, your assets will be passed according to your instructions. Without one, Michigan law decides who gets what and who’s in charge, and that may not match what you would have wanted.
Having a clear plan also means sparing your family the stress of a long, expensive probate process. Instead of leaving them with confusion and uncertainty, you can give them clarity—and yourself the peace of mind that comes with knowing everything is in order.
A well-crafted estate plan can also save your family money. Without certain planning strategies, your estate may face unnecessary probate costs and taxes that reduce what your loved ones receive. For example, the right planning can allow you to use and benefit from your assets during your lifetime, avoid probate court, and pass your assets to your loved ones in the most efficient, tax-friendly way possible.
It’s also important to plan for the unexpected. Incapacity can happen at any age—not just later in life—due to illness, injury, or other health issues. With the right planning in place, you decide who will manage your care and your finances if you’re unable to do so yourself, rather than leaving those decisions to a court. You will also include “extraordinary” powers that allow the best protection against the devastating costs of a long-term care crisis if it arises.
For parents of young children, estate planning is critical. It ensures you—not a judge—choose who will raise your children if something happens to you. This alone can be one of the most important and loving decisions you ever make for your family.
5 Common Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid
Estate planning can be challenging, and mistakes often arise from either poor planning or inadequate preparation. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid:
When Should I Start Estate Planning?
There are many reasons to begin your estate plan sooner rather than later. Life can change in an instant, and having a well-prepared plan means you’re ready for whatever comes. It ensures your wishes will be honored and your assets protected—no matter what the future holds.
Many people think estate planning is something for “later,” especially younger adults who assume it’s only for older individuals. Others feel it’s unnecessary if they don’t have significant wealth or young children. The truth is, every adult—regardless of age, income, or family situation—can benefit from having a good plan in place.
If you’ve been putting it off like many people do, this old proverb says it best: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” The same is true for estate planning—the sooner you start, the more control, protection, and peace of mind you’ll have.
Your estate plan can do more than you might think: it can protect your home and savings, make sure your loved ones are provided for, and give you peace of mind that your affairs are in order. The best time to start isn’t someday—it’s today.
Top 5 Reasons to Meet With a Michigan Estate Planning Attorney
Glenn Matecun and his legal group have been helping Michigan families create strong, effective estate plans for over 30 years, with their main office in Howell. Over that time, Glenn and his group have seen many reasons people decide it’s time to plan—but these five come up the most often:
Understanding and Avoiding Probate After Death
Most wills in Michigan go through probate—meaning the court oversees how the estate is divided. Even people who’ve never experienced probate firsthand often know one thing: they want to avoid it. That’s because they’ve heard stories from friends, neighbors, or the news about how slow, costly, and stressful it can be.
The good news? Avoiding probate is often simple with the right estate plan in place, saving your family time, money, and frustration.
Remaining in Control
A solid estate plan lets you stay in charge—of your assets, your decisions, and your legacy. You decide who receives what, when they receive it, and how it’s managed. Glenn and his proven legal team in Howell, MI can help you take steps to minimize taxes, court costs, and legal fees so more of your estate goes to the people and causes you care about most.
Avoiding a Mess
Many clients come to us after seeing the chaos that happens when someone dies without a plan—or with one that’s outdated. Without clear instructions, families can end up in costly disputes, facing unnecessary court proceedings.
Planning now means you decide who will be in charge if you become incapacitated or after you pass away, and you set clear directions for how your assets will be handled. That clarity goes a long way toward keeping the peace in your family.
Protecting Beneficiaries
There are two main reasons people want their plan to protect beneficiaries:
- Minor Children Without a plan, Michigan law requires a court-appointed conservator to manage a minor’s inheritance until age 18. This “living probate” process can be expensive, time-consuming, and stressful, and allows an inheritance to be distributed to a young adult who may not be ready to handle it.
- Adult Beneficiaries Sometimes adult children or other beneficiaries need protection from outside influences, poor spending habits, creditor problems, divorce, or substance abuse issues.
The right plan can help ensure an inheritance isn’t wasted or taken by creditors, a lawsuit, or a soon-to-be ex-spouse.
Protecting Assets from Unforeseen Creditors
Asset protection is becoming more important than ever. Once a lawsuit is filed or even suspected, it’s too late to put protections in place. Nursing home costs—now averaging over $10,000 per month—are another major threat to a lifetime of savings.
Starting with a strong estate plan and financial strategy can help protect what you’ve worked for, both for your benefit and for the benefit of your spouse and loved ones.
How to Find the Best Estate Planning Attorney in Howell
The right lawyer can make all the difference in securing your family’s financial future. But how do you know where to start looking? Choosing an estate planning attorney isn’t just about finding someone who “does wills”—it’s about finding someone who understands your goals, listens to your concerns, and creates a plan that truly works for you.
Below, we’ll share what to look for when finding the best estate planning attorney in Howell, MI—so you can feel confident you’ve put your future in the right hands.
Friends and Family
Start with the people you know and trust. Ask friends and family if they’ve worked with an estate planning attorney and whether they’d recommend them. Personal referrals can be one of the best ways to find someone you feel comfortable with.
Online Reviews and Testimonials
Beyond personal recommendations, take a look at what past clients are saying online. Online reviews can give you a sense of how the attorney treats clients, communicates, and follows through. These are people who were once in your shoes, so their experiences can help guide your decision.
Set Up Consultations (and Ask Lots of Questions!)
Many estate planning attorneys offer a free initial consultation. Use this as a chance to meet face-to-face (or virtually) and get a feel for their approach. Trust your instincts—if something doesn’t feel right, keep looking. While you’re meeting, don’t be shy about asking questions. This is your family’s future, so make sure you’re confident in the person helping you protect it.
There are plenty of ways to find an estate planning attorney, but these three steps are a great place to start. They’ll help you narrow your search and find someone who’s not just qualified—but the right fit for you.
Get Started Creating a Plan That Fits Your Unique Needs
Due to changing laws and the variety of circumstances generally surrounding wills, trusts and estates in Michigan, we strongly recommend that you seek legal advice from an experienced estate planning attorney that you can trust.
The earlier you begin the planning process, the more options you will have to protect your loved ones and yourself. Contact us today to schedule a free strategy session with a member of our team to discuss your particular needs and goals by clicking the button above. Consultations are available at our Howell office or anywhere in Michigan virtually. For immediate assistance, give us a call at 517-548-7400 now!
Complimentary Estate Planning Check-Up
Our goal is to give you peace of mind and ensure your estate plan works when needed. Life changes, including the law, legal strategies, family, finances, and health. That’s why we offer a free Estate Planning Check-Up. Our 39-point check-up takes just a few minutes to complete and will allow you to keep your estate plan up to date regardless of how life changes through the years.
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