Connecticut Estate Planning Attorney

Thoughtful Estate Planning for Your Family, Assets and Future

Estate planning is about more than deciding what happens to property after death. A carefully considered plan can also address who may make financial or healthcare decisions if you become unable to do so, how assets should be managed for family members, and how your wishes should be carried out as circumstances change.

Drazen Rubin Law provides estate planning services to individuals and families throughout Connecticut from our Milford office, including clients in Milford, New Haven, Trumbull and surrounding communities.

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Estate plan documents on a desk

What Does a Connecticut Estate Planning Attorney Do?

No single estate plan is appropriate for everyone. The documents and strategies that may be appropriate for you depend on factors such as your family structure, assets, age, health, business interests, beneficiaries and personal objectives.

An estate planning attorney can help you understand available options, identify issues that may otherwise be overlooked and prepare documents intended to reflect your decisions under applicable Connecticut law.
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A Connecticut estate planning attorney helps individuals and families coordinate wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, beneficiary designations, and tax or asset-protection strategies. Drazen Rubin Law provides estate planning from its Milford office, helping Connecticut clients create plans tailored to their families, assets, businesses, healthcare wishes and long-term goals.

What Can a Connecticut Estate Plan Include?

An estate plan may consist of several coordinated legal documents rather than a single will or trust. Which documents you need depends on your circumstances and objectives.

Wills

A last will and testament allows you to state how certain property should be distributed after your death and name the person you would like to administer your estate, subject to applicable law and Probate Court procedures.

For parents of minor children, a will can also be used to nominate a guardian. The ultimate appointment of a guardian is determined through the appropriate legal process and is not controlled solely by a parent's nomination.

A will can be an important part of an estate plan, but it should be coordinated with other arrangements involving trusts, jointly owned property, retirement accounts, life insurance and other assets that may pass outside the terms of a will.

Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts

Trusts can be used for many different estate planning purposes.

A revocable living trust generally allows the person creating the trust to retain control over trust assets during life while providing instructions for management and eventual distribution.

Depending on how assets are owned and transferred to the trust, a revocable trust may also reduce the extent to which particular assets need to pass through probate. Creating the document alone, however, does not necessarily accomplish that objective. Asset ownership and trust funding are important parts of the planning process.

An irrevocable trust involves different legal considerations and may be appropriate in certain tax, asset-management, charitable, family or long-term planning circumstances.

Because irrevocable trusts can significantly affect control over and access to property, they should be considered in light of the client's specific circumstances and objectives.

Durable Powers of Attorney

A durable power of attorney can authorize another person to handle designated financial and legal matters on your behalf.

Depending on how the document is drafted, the authority granted may address matters such as:

  • Banking and financial transactions
  • Real estate matters
  • Business interests
  • Tax matters
  • Insurance
  • Investments
  • Government benefits
  • Other financial responsibilities

Choosing an agent is an important decision. The scope of that person's authority should also be carefully considered as part of the planning process.

Healthcare Directives

Estate planning should address decisions made during life as well as the transfer of property after death.

Healthcare planning documents can communicate your wishes and identify individuals who may be authorized to participate in healthcare decisions if you are unable to make or communicate those decisions yourself.

The appropriate documents depend on Connecticut law and your individual preferences.

Discussing these issues in advance can also give family members and decision-makers a clearer understanding of your wishes.

Beneficiary Designations and Asset Coordination

Not every asset is necessarily controlled by a will.

Life insurance policies, retirement accounts and certain other assets may include beneficiary designations or ownership arrangements that affect how they are transferred.

For that reason, estate planning should generally involve more than preparing documents in isolation.

An attorney may review how significant assets are titled and how beneficiary designations interact with the overall estate plan. Depending on the circumstances, coordination among legal documents, account ownership and beneficiary designations can be important to carrying out the client's intended plan.

Estate Tax and Gift Planning

Federal and Connecticut estate and gift tax laws may affect some individuals and families.

Whether tax planning is necessary depends on many factors, including the size and nature of an estate, lifetime gifts, family circumstances, business interests and changes in state and federal law.

Possible planning strategies may involve trusts, charitable giving, lifetime transfers or other techniques when appropriate.

Tax laws and exemption amounts change over time, and a strategy that may be appropriate for one individual or family may not be appropriate for another. Estate and tax planning should therefore be based on current law and the client's specific circumstances.

Asset Protection Planning

Some estate plans also address concerns involving the preservation and management of family assets.

Depending on a client's circumstances, asset protection considerations may involve trust planning, business structures, insurance, ownership arrangements or other legal strategies.

No planning technique can guarantee that assets will be protected from every creditor, claim, tax or future legal circumstance. Appropriate planning depends on the type of asset, existing obligations, timing, applicable law and the client's legitimate planning objectives.

Planning for Business Owners

For a business owner, estate planning may need to address both personal and business concerns.

Issues can include:

  • Ownership succession
  • Management continuity
  • Buy-sell arrangements
  • Transfer of ownership interests
  • Key-person considerations
  • Family participation in the business
  • Coordination with wills and trusts
  • Tax considerations
  • Planning for incapacity

A business succession strategy should generally be coordinated with the owner's broader estate plan rather than treated as a completely separate issue.

Do You Need a Will, a Trust, or Both?

There is no universal answer. A will and a trust perform different functions, and some estate plans include both.

Planning ToolCommon PurposeProbate ConsiderationIncapacity Planning
WillProvides instructions for distribution of property governed by the will and can nominate guardians for minor childrenProperty governed by a will is generally handled through the applicable probate processA will does not generally provide financial authority during your lifetime
Revocable Living TrustHolds and manages assets placed in the trust and provides instructions for their administration and distributionProperly transferred trust assets may be administered outside the probate estate, depending on the circumstancesA properly drafted trust may provide for continued management of trust assets
Durable Power of AttorneyAuthorizes another person to handle designated financial and legal mattersPrimarily a lifetime planning document rather than a probate-avoidance documentCan provide authority for financial matters if you are unable to act
Healthcare Planning DocumentsCommunicate healthcare wishes and identify appropriate decision-makersNot primarily related to probateIntended to address healthcare decision-making during life

The important question is not simply whether a trust is "better" than a will. The better question is which combination of documents and ownership arrangements appropriately addresses your family, assets and goals.

An estate planning attorney can review those circumstances with you and explain potential options.

Estate Planning for Every Stage of Life

Estate planning is not limited to retirement or advanced age. Different stages of life create different planning priorities.

Young Adults and Growing Families

Estate planning can become particularly important when a person:

  • Gets married
  • Has children
  • Purchases a home
  • Begins accumulating retirement assets
  • Starts a business
  • Receives an inheritance

Parents may want to address guardianship nominations, management of assets for children and the individuals who would be responsible for financial or healthcare decisions if a parent becomes incapacitated.

Even young adults without substantial assets may benefit from considering powers of attorney and healthcare planning documents.

Homeowners and Established Families

As families accumulate homes, retirement accounts, investments and other assets, estate plans frequently become more complex.

Planning may involve coordinating:

  • Wills
  • Trusts
  • Property ownership
  • Beneficiary designations
  • Life insurance
  • Retirement accounts
  • Gifts
  • Business interests

Changes in family circumstances can also make it appropriate to revisit an existing plan.

Business Owners and Professionals

Business owners often need an estate plan that addresses both personal wealth and the future of the business.

Questions may include:

  • Who should own the business in the future?
  • Who should manage it if the owner becomes unable to do so?
  • Should family members inherit ownership?
  • Are there partners or co-owners whose rights should be addressed?
  • How should business value be coordinated with inheritances received by other beneficiaries?

The answers depend on the business, governing documents, ownership structure and the owner's goals.

Older Adults and Families Planning for Long-Term Needs

As people age, estate planning may overlap with elder law, healthcare planning and long-term care considerations.

A review may address whether existing powers of attorney, healthcare documents, wills and trusts continue to reflect current needs.

Families may also need to consider how estate planning interacts with long-term care planning, asset management and the needs of a spouse or other family members.

Why Estate Planning Should Reflect Connecticut Law

Estate planning is affected by state-specific law.

Connecticut law can affect matters involving wills, probate, trusts, fiduciaries, powers of attorney, estate administration and state estate and gift taxes.

Connecticut Probate Courts oversee matters that include the probate of wills, administration of estates and certain trusts. When someone dies without a valid will governing property subject to the estate, Connecticut law determines how that property is distributed.

That makes state-specific planning important.

An estate plan prepared for someone living in another state may not address every issue relevant to a Connecticut resident. Likewise, a plan prepared years ago may warrant review after a move, marriage, divorce, birth, death, substantial change in assets or change in applicable law.

If you recently moved to Connecticut or have an older estate plan prepared elsewhere, consider having the documents reviewed by a Connecticut estate planning attorney.

More Than Documents: Coordinating Your Estate Plan

Signing a will or trust is only one part of estate planning.

A comprehensive review may also consider how different components of a person's financial life work together.

These can include:

  • Real estate ownership
  • Bank and investment accounts
  • Retirement plans
  • Life insurance
  • Business interests
  • Beneficiary designations
  • Existing trusts
  • Prior wills and codicils
  • Powers of attorney
  • Healthcare documents
  • Charitable intentions
  • Family obligations

The goal is to identify potential inconsistencies and determine whether the overall structure reflects the client's current objectives.

For example, changing language in a will may not change the beneficiary designation on a retirement account. Similarly, creating a trust does not necessarily mean every asset has been transferred into that trust.

Estate planning should therefore be viewed as a coordinated process rather than simply the preparation of individual documents.

What to Expect When You Work With Our Estate Planning Attorneys

Every client's circumstances are different, but an estate planning engagement will generally involve understanding your goals, reviewing relevant information and developing an appropriate set of documents and recommendations.

1. Understand Your Family and Goals

The process begins with a discussion of your circumstances.

Topics may include:

  • Family relationships
  • Children and other beneficiaries
  • Assets and liabilities
  • Business interests
  • Existing estate planning documents
  • Charitable objectives
  • Healthcare wishes
  • Concerns about incapacity
  • Long-term goals

Understanding what matters to you provides the foundation for the planning process.

2. Review Assets and Existing Documents

If you already have a will, trust, power of attorney or other estate planning documents, they can be reviewed in the context of your current circumstances.

Significant assets and ownership arrangements may also need to be considered.

This can help identify whether existing documents still reflect your intentions and whether additional planning issues should be discussed.

3. Design and Draft Your Estate Plan

After discussing your objectives and available options, the appropriate legal documents can be prepared.

Depending on your circumstances, the plan may involve a combination of:

  • A will
  • One or more trusts
  • Powers of attorney
  • Healthcare planning documents
  • Other related estate planning instruments

More complex estates may require coordination with accountants, financial professionals, insurance professionals or other advisers.

4. Sign, Coordinate and Maintain Your Plan

Estate planning should not necessarily end when documents are signed.

Trust funding, beneficiary designations, account ownership or other implementation issues may need to be addressed depending on the plan.

Estate plans should also be revisited periodically and after significant changes in personal, family, financial or legal circumstances.

Estate Planning Designed for Life, Not Just Death

A useful estate plan considers what may happen during your lifetime as well as what should happen after your death.

Drazen Rubin Law's planning approach recognizes that estate planning can intersect with other areas affecting individuals and families over time, including elder law, tax planning, long-term care, asset management and planning for incapacity.

That broader perspective can be particularly relevant when family or financial circumstances become more complicated.

Estate planning may need to change when you:

  • Marry or divorce
  • Have or adopt a child
  • Become a grandparent
  • Buy or sell significant property
  • Start, purchase or sell a business
  • Receive a substantial inheritance
  • Experience a significant change in financial circumstances
  • Lose a spouse or other beneficiary
  • Develop long-term care concerns
  • Move to or from Connecticut
  • Experience a significant health change
  • Decide to change fiduciaries or beneficiaries

A periodic review provides an opportunity to determine whether your existing plan continues to reflect your intentions.

Estate Planning for Families With Special Circumstances

Some families require additional planning because a straightforward distribution of property may not accomplish their goals.

Planning for a Beneficiary With Special Needs

Leaving assets directly to a person with a disability can raise issues involving asset management and, in some circumstances, eligibility for means-tested public benefits.

Special needs planning may involve specialized trusts and related strategies designed around the beneficiary's circumstances.

Because benefit programs and trust rules can be complex, these arrangements should be considered individually.

Blended Families

Second marriages and blended families can create competing planning priorities.

A person may want to provide for a current spouse while also preserving assets for children from a prior relationship.

Estate planning can help address these intentions more explicitly rather than relying on assumptions about how property will ultimately be distributed.

Unmarried Couples

Unmarried partners may not have all of the same legal rights that arise from marriage.

Estate planning can therefore be particularly important for couples who want to provide financial rights, inheritance arrangements or decision-making authority for one another.

Families With Significant or Complex Assets

Additional planning may be appropriate for individuals who own:

  • Multiple properties
  • Closely held businesses
  • Significant investment assets
  • Property in more than one state
  • Large retirement accounts
  • Substantial life insurance
  • Valuable collections or other specialized assets

The appropriate planning structure depends on the nature, ownership and intended disposition of those assets.

Estate Planning and Probate in Connecticut

Estate planning and probate are related, but they are not the same thing.

Probate is a legal process through which Connecticut Probate Courts oversee matters that can include the administration of a deceased person's estate, probate of a will, payment of appropriate obligations and transfer of estate property to those entitled to receive it.

A will does not, by itself, eliminate probate.

Certain assets may pass outside a probate estate because of how they are owned, designated or held. Examples can include some jointly owned property, assets with valid beneficiary designations and assets properly held in certain trusts.

Whether a particular asset is subject to probate depends on the facts, applicable documents, ownership and Connecticut law.

Estate planning may help organize affairs and address how assets should be handled, but no attorney should promise that a particular plan will eliminate every court proceeding, expense, tax, creditor issue or administrative requirement.

Estate Planning From Our Milford, Connecticut Office

Drazen Rubin Law provides estate planning services from:

245 Cherry St.
Milford, CT 06460

Our attorneys work with Connecticut individuals and families, including clients from:

  • Milford
  • New Haven
  • Trumbull
  • Surrounding Connecticut communities

Estate planning needs can range from preparing foundational documents to coordinating more complex family, trust, tax, business and asset-planning concerns.

If you are creating your first estate plan, reviewing an older plan or responding to a major life change, an attorney can help you evaluate which planning issues should be considered based on your circumstances.

Schedule an Estate Planning Consultation

Call 203-877-7511

Connecticut Estate Planning FAQs

The documents included in an estate plan depend on the client's needs. A plan may include a last will and testament, one or more trusts, a durable power of attorney, healthcare planning documents and other instruments.

Estate planning may also involve reviewing beneficiary designations, ownership of significant assets and existing legal documents.

A Connecticut estate planning attorney can explain available documents and recommend an approach based on your family, financial circumstances and objectives.

Some people may need only a will and other foundational estate planning documents, while others may benefit from a trust in addition to a will.

Factors that may influence the decision include the nature and ownership of your assets, family circumstances, privacy concerns, management needs, beneficiaries and long-term objectives.

A trust is not automatically better than a will. The appropriate structure depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Assets that are properly transferred to and owned by a revocable living trust may, depending on the circumstances, be administered outside the probate estate.

However, simply signing a trust document does not automatically place assets in the trust. Asset ownership and beneficiary designations can affect how property is transferred.

Some probate or estate-related proceedings may still be necessary even when a trust is part of the estate plan.

When a person dies without a valid will governing property that becomes part of the probate estate, Connecticut law determines who is entitled to receive that property.

The result may or may not match what the person would have chosen.

Creating an estate plan gives you an opportunity to state your intentions and address additional matters that intestacy laws do not necessarily resolve, such as fiduciary choices, trust planning and incapacity planning.

No.

The complexity of an estate plan often increases as wealth and assets increase, but many fundamental estate planning issues apply regardless of net worth.

A person may still need to consider:

  • Who should inherit property
  • Who should handle financial affairs during incapacity
  • Who should participate in healthcare decisions
  • Who should serve as executor
  • Who should care for minor children
  • How assets should be managed for beneficiaries

For these reasons, estate planning can be relevant even when estate tax planning is not.

There is no single schedule appropriate for everyone, but estate plans should generally be reviewed periodically and after significant changes in personal or financial circumstances.

Events that may warrant a review include:

  • Marriage
  • Divorce
  • Birth or adoption
  • Death of a spouse or beneficiary
  • Significant changes in assets
  • Starting or selling a business
  • Moving to another state
  • Changes involving fiduciaries
  • Changes in health
  • Changes in tax or estate planning law

A review does not necessarily mean the plan must be changed. It provides an opportunity to determine whether the existing documents still reflect your intentions.

Trust planning may be used to provide instructions for how and when assets are managed or distributed to children or other beneficiaries.

For example, a trust may provide for management of assets while a beneficiary is young or establish conditions and standards governing distributions.

The degree of protection available from creditors, divorce, taxes or other claims depends on the type of trust, applicable law, timing and individual circumstances. No estate planning structure should be presented as providing absolute protection.

Connecticut maintains its own estate and gift tax system in addition to the federal tax system.

Whether Connecticut or federal estate tax affects a particular estate depends on the applicable law at the relevant time and the size and composition of the estate, among other factors.

Because exemption amounts and tax laws can change, individuals with potentially taxable estates should obtain advice based on current state and federal law rather than relying on older planning assumptions.

Forms and online document services are available, but estate planning involves more than inserting names into standardized documents.

Legal requirements, family circumstances, asset ownership, beneficiary designations and tax considerations can affect whether documents operate as intended.

An attorney can help identify issues, explain alternatives and prepare documents based on your individual circumstances.

An initial estate planning discussion typically begins with information about your family, existing estate planning documents, significant assets and what you want the plan to accomplish.

Helpful information may include:

  • Existing wills or trusts
  • Powers of attorney
  • Healthcare documents
  • General information regarding major assets
  • Business ownership information
  • Life insurance
  • Retirement accounts
  • Existing beneficiary arrangements
  • Questions or concerns you want to address

You do not necessarily need to have every document or financial detail assembled before speaking with an attorney.

Start Your Connecticut Estate Plan

Whether you are creating an estate plan for the first time or reviewing documents prepared years ago, thoughtful planning can help clarify your wishes and identify important financial, family and healthcare decisions before they become urgent.

Drazen Rubin Law provides estate planning services for Connecticut individuals and families from our Milford office, including clients in Milford, New Haven, Trumbull and surrounding communities.

Schedule an Estate Planning Consultation

Call 203-877-7511

Drazen Rubin Law
245 Cherry St.
Milford, CT 06460

This page provides general information about estate planning and is not intended as legal or tax advice. Estate planning laws and tax rules can change, and the appropriate planning strategy depends on individual circumstances. Viewing this website or contacting the firm through the website does not, by itself, create an attorney-client relationship.

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