Asheville and Hendersonville Estate Planning Attorneys 

	Upcoming Events     Seminar: Paying for College - Including What to Do with Over-Funded UGMA/UTMA Accounts - Asheville Office Type: This session will address one of the most significant concerns for many clients; i.e., paying for the education of their loved ones. Learn the tax and non-tax aspects of various education funding tools, including UGMA/UTMA accounts, Section 529 plans, and life insurance, among others. This session will also answer the often-asked question, what can I do with over-funded UGMA/UTMA accounts? Location: 77 Central Avenue, Suite F Asheville, NC 28801 Date: January 31, 2012 Time: 12:30 pm Register Online Seminar: Paying for College - Including What to Do with Over-Funded UGMA/UTMA Accounts - Hendersonville office Type: This session will address one of the most significant concerns for many clients; i.e., paying for the education of their loved ones. Learn the tax and non-tax aspects of various education funding tools, including UGMA/UTMA accounts, Section 529 plans, and life insurance, among others. This session will also answer the often-asked question, what can I do with over-funded UGMA/UTMA accounts? Location: 104 N. Washington St. Hendersonville, NC 28739 Date: January 31, 2012 Time: 12:30 pm Register Online Seminar: What is Estate Planning? Wills vs. Trusts - Asheville Type: What is Estate Planning? Wills vs. Trusts Location: Asheville Office 77 Central Ave., Suite F Asheville, NC 28801 Date: February 28, 2012 Time: 12:30 pm Register Online Seminar: What is Estate Planning? Wills vs. Trusts - Hendersonville Type: What is Estate Planning? Wills vs. Trusts Location: Hendersonville Office 104 N. Washington St. Hendersonville, NC 28739 Date: February 28, 2012 Time: 12:30 pm Register Online Seminar: Understanding the Adequate Disclosure Rules for Gift Tax Returns - Asheville Type: The Advisors Forum Presents Live CPE Series for CPAs: The preparation and filing of gift tax returns are often not given the attention they need. With the requirement that adequate disclosure be met to start the clock on the statute of limitations combined with the new preparer penalty rules, it is vital that gift tax returns be prepared properly. During this seminar, we will discuss the adequate disclosure rules in regards to gift tax. Location: Asheville Office 77 Central Avenue, Suite F Asheville, NC 28801 Date: February 14, 2012 Time: 12:30 pm Register Online Seminar: Understanding the Adequate Disclosure Rules for Gift Tax Returns - Hendersonville Type: The Advisors Forum Presents Live CPE Series for CPAs: The preparation and filing of gift tax returns are often not given the attention they need. With the requirement that adequate disclosure be met to start the clock on the statute of limitations combined with the new preparer penalty rules, it is vital that gift tax returns be prepared properly. During this seminar, we will discuss the adequate disclosure rules in regards to gift tax. Location: Hendersonville Office 104 N. Washington St. Hendersonville, NC 28739 Date: February 14, 2012 Time: 12:30 pm Register Online

Do you want to protect your children's inheritance from creditors, predators and divorce? Do you want to avoid paying unnecessary estate taxes? Do you have a business that you wish to pass along to a loved one without complications? Do you have questions about Medicaid expenses, and how they will affect your legacy to your spouse or children?

Strauss & Associates, P.A., located in Asheville and Hendersonville, North Carolina, can provide the answers. Our estate planning lawyers offer dedicated and informative representation in estate planning, transfer tax planning, probate administration, asset protection, elder law services, and related areas. Handling these matters is all we do, and you can be confident we do it well.

Plan your legacy. Protect your assets. Contact our experienced attorneys now at (828) 258-0994 or (828) 696-1811

Customized Estate Planning Services Based on Your Needs and Goals

Our firm strongly believes that a team-oriented holistic approach is vital to the creation of an effective estate plan. We work to identify your specific needs, discuss your objectives, and, if necessary, bring in accountants, financial planners and/or other professionals for guidance. We take great pride in providing customized estate plans that grant you peace of mind.

In addition, we strive to remain in constant communication with our clients during the estate planning process and to keep them informed of any developments that may affect their overall goals.

Family and Wealth Protection through Cutting Edge, State of the Art Estate Planning Strategies

Some important goals of any estate plan are to protect assets and minimize tax liability. It is critical to provide the latest estate planning tools to achieve these objectives.

We were one of first law firms in western North Carolina to use family limited partnerships (FLPs), limited liability companies (LLCs), and revocable living trusts to protect people's estate plan. Other ways to protect assets and avoid unnecessary tax liability include:

• Business succession planning
• Medicaid planning for nursing home care
• IRA planning
• Charitable planning
• Estate tax and gift tax planning
• Asset protection

Representing You in Probate Court

Clients often come to us when a loved one has passed away without leaving behind a will or a trust. For these clients, the confusion over how to handle the deceased’s estate coupled with the raw emotion of their personal loss can make for a confusing and emotionally exhausting time. Our significant experience in the area of probate, estate administration and trust administration can help put their minds at ease and spare them unnecessary anxiety. Contact a probate lawyer at our firm today to discuss your needs.

Contact Us to Plan Your Legacy

For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced estate planning lawyer, please contact us. We also welcome calls from financial planners and accountants in need of an estate planning attorney for their clientele.
 

Overview of Major Practice Areas:
 

Estate planning: We take great pride in designing and constructing comprehensive estate plans which address our clients' exact wishes.

Our firm assists with estate planning for all types of individuals and families, including the many elderly retirees that move to North Carolina. See our specific pages on:

• Estate planning for farmers
• Planning with blended families
• Estate planning for people with disabilities

Asset protection: Without a proper asset protection plan in place, you could stand to lose your hard-earned resources due to our highly litigious legal environment.

Business formation: We help analyze entity selections and draft partnership and LLC operating agreements.

Business succession planning: Selling a business to a third party or passing it down to an employee or family member requires a structured plan. Our attorneys have extensive experience creating detailed and exhaustive business succession plans.

Medicaid - elder law: If you are seeking long-term nursing care for your elderly loved one, you may not want personal finances and assets to cover all of their expenses. We help clients structure plans to ensure qualification for Medicaid, which can help cover certain living expenses.

IRA planning: Our estate planning lawyers help named beneficiaries properly manage their inherited IRA and 401(k) balances.

Charitable planning: Our attorneys have significant experience setting up charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, and private foundations. Charitable planning can be especially effective if you are seeking estate and income tax deductions.

Probate and estate administration: Regardless of whether a loved one dies with or without an estate plan, we can assist you with both post-mortem planning and estate administration. There are certain strategies that we can employ to achieve tax savings and to simplify the administration of the estate, even after your loved has died.

Wills and trusts - We work extensively with clients to determine their estate planning objectives and create a will or living trust that accurately reflects their wishes. Everyone from a beloved family member to a favorite pet can benefit from a will or trust.

Estate tax and gift tax planning - The goal in most estate tax and gift tax planning is to minimize the taxes due at death. Strategies include reducing the value of the estate by establishing a family limited partnership or limited liability company, among others.

Estate planning and life insurance: We use life insurance as an estate planning tool, sometimes placing it in a trust to pass along to beneficiaries.