If you have yet to create an estate plan, there is no time like the present to get started. A well thought out estate plan can accomplish a number of important goals, including creating a framework for the division of your estate assets upon your death, protecting you and your family in the event of your incapacity, and ensuring that your loved ones are provided for when you are gone. At the Middlesex County, New Jersey Augulis Law Firm we know that choosing an attorney to help you with your estate planning needs is an important decision. We would appreciate the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss how we can help you with your estate plans.
Middlesex County, New Jersey
Located in north central New Jersey, Middlesex County covers approximately 320 square miles. The first known human inhabitants of the area that eventually became Middlesex County wear the Lenni Lenape. These indigenous people developed an extensive system of trails that became wagon roads when early European settlors arrived. Many of those same early trails eventually became modern roads. In fact, that early trail/road system developed into one of the largest transportation networks in the nation with almost every major north-south rail and roadway on the East Coast passing through Middlesex County.
The county’s strategic location along the Raritan River between New York and Philadelphia led to its early popularity with settlors. The county was officially established on March 7, 1683 as part of the Province of East Jersey and was partitioned into the townships of Piscataway, Perth Amboy and Woodbridge a decade later. The adjoining county of Somerset was also established on May 14, 1688 from portions of Middlesex County. The area quickly developed into a thriving trading and port hub for early colonists. It also played an important role in the American Revolution as troops from both sides camped in the area, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
During the second half of the 19th century, Middlesex County’s strategic location once again helped the county grow during the Industrial Age. Johnson & Johnson, a leading health care and personal products corporation, established its world headquarters within the county in 1886. Among the county’s other claims to fame are:
- A partial feather, constituting the oldest known fossil record of a terrestrial bird in North America, was discovered in Sayreville amber deposits.
- Deinosuchus, 33- to 40-foot crocodiles, hunted their prey in Sayreville and Old Bridge during the Cretaceous Period.
- The Band-aid, the forerunner to modern baby formula, the first known antibiotics, and duct tape were developed here.
- Thomas A. Edison obtained over 300 patents, including ones for the phonograph and the incandescent light bulb, while working in his Menlo Park laboratory.
As of the 2017 Census estimate, Middlesex County was home to 842,798 residents making it the state’s second-most populous county. Both residents and visitors alike enjoy the extensive park system spread throughout Middlesex County totaling more than 6,300 acres.
Augulis Law Firm in the Middlesex County Community
The estate planning attorneys at Augulis Law Firm are proud to serve the estate planning needs of the Middlesex County, New Jersey community. Our goal is to create lifelong relationships with our clients who live and work in the Middlesex County community because estate planning, when done properly, is a lifelong process. As you move through the various stages of your life, and your estate becomes more complicated and complex, changes will need to be made to your estate plan in order to keep up. We hope to be there with you to ensure those changes are properly reflected in your estate plan.
For an estate plan to be successful it requires a solid foundation. That foundation, however, also requires continuous and careful nurturing. With that in mind, your estate plan is not something you create and forget about once it is in place. Instead, your estate plan is something that will need to be reviewed and updated throughout the course of your life as your estate and your family grows. Initially, your focus may be on nothing more than ensuring you do not leave behind an intestate estate should something happen to you. As such, a Last Will and Testament may be all you need in the beginning. Deciding to marry and/or become a parent, however, will change that as you now have a family to protect and provide for in your plan. At that point, you may decide to create a trust to protect your minor child’s inheritance, for example, as well as incorporate incapacity planning into your overall plan. As you move into middle age, you should begin merging your retirement plans with your estate plan to ensure that the two plans work in harmony with each other. Long before you reach retirement age, however, you should also consider adding Medicaid planning to your estate plan to ensure that you can afford the high cost of long-term care. Funeral planning along with advance directives should also be included in your overall estate plan if you want your wishes to be honored with regard to end of life medical treatment.
Our hope at the Augulis Law Firm is that we can be there with you as you pass through the various phases of your life to help ensure that your estate plan protects you, your assets, and your loved ones.
Contact Us
If you have additional questions about New Jersey estate planning, contact the experienced New Jersey estate planning lawyers at Augulis Law Firm by calling 908-222-8803 to schedule your appointment today.
