Over the course of your lifetime you will likely work hard, save conscientiously, and invest wisely in the hope that you will amass sufficient assets to see you comfortably through your retirement years. Hopefully, there will be a sizeable estate left to pass down to loved ones as well. To protect those assets while you are alive and plan for their distribution after you are gone, you need a well thought out estate plan. The estate planning attorneys at the Augulis Law Firm are committed to helping you create Hunterdon County, New Jersey estate plan that accomplishes all of those goals and many more.
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Encompassing about 440 square miles along the western border of New Jersey, Hunterdon County had 125,059 residents as of the 2017 Census estimate and is considered to be part of the Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division of the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hunterdon County is noted for having the second-lowest level of child poverty of any county in the United States.
Like most of the northeast, the area that is now known as Hunterdon County was originally home to various Native American tribes. Land purchases from Native Americans occurred from 1688 to 1758. Land purchases that occurred during the early part of the 18th century paved the way for European settlors to begin arriving shortly thereafter. Hunterdon County was carved out of Burlington County on March 11, 1714 and was named for Robert Hunter, a colonial governor of New Jersey.
Today, Hunterdon County is home to many commuters to New York and Philadelphia who prefer to live in a more rural setting. Although the county continues to grow, the peaceful, rustic setting offers residents and visitors a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities.
Augulis Law Firm in the Hunterdon County, New Jersey Community
At the Augulis Law Firm, we have dedicated our practice to the issues we feel matter most to our friends and neighbors – protecting yourself, your assets, and your loved ones through the creation of a comprehensive estate plan. Working with the right estate planning attorney is crucial to the creation of that plan. Knowing how difficult it can be to discuss highly personal financial and family matters with a virtual stranger though is one of the many reasons why we strive to create lifelong relationships with our Hunterdon County, New Jersey clients so that we can help you create a plan that accomplishes all your goals.
Creating an initial estate plan when you are young is important; however, the ultimate success of that plan often depends on reviewing and revising that plan in the years to come. That is one of the many reasons why we place such an emphasis on creating lifelong relationship with out clients. Initially, your estate plan may rely entirely on a Last Will and Testament to distribute your estate assets because your primary goal is to avoid leaving behind an intestate estate. As you build up your assets, and add to your family, that initial estate plan will also need to be updated to account for your expanding goals and needs. If you marry, you may need to change both beneficiary and fiduciary designations within your plan. Becoming a parent may prompt you to create a trust to protect the inheritance you plan to leave behind for your minor child. Incapacity planning and probate avoidance may also become important secondary goals within your estate plan. As you contemplate your retirement years, the need to incorporate Medicaid planning into your comprehensive estate plan will likely become clear as a way to offset the high cost of long-term care without putting your assets at risk. Finally, if you hold strong beliefs about end of life medical care you may wish to execute an advance directive to ensure that those beliefs will be considered and your wishes honored when the time comes.
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 Hunterdon County, New Jersey estate planning lawyers at Augulis Law Firm by calling 908-222-8803 to schedule your appointment today.
