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 Passaic 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.
Passaic County, New Jersey
Located along the northern New Jersey border, Passaic County covers approximately 200 square miles and was home to 512,607 residents as of the 2017 Census; however, the county is also part of the New York Metropolitan area which boasts one of the largest populations in the country at 4.5 million.
Much of Passaic County was once inhabited by the Algonquian-speaking Native American Acquackanonk tribe of the Lenape, referred to as the Delaware Indians. At that time, the land was known as the Lenapehoking. The Dutch originally claimed the land as New Netherlands with the British later calling it the Province of New Jersey. Passaic County was carved out of Bergen and Essex counties on February 7, 1837.
Passaic county was a largely industrial county from early on with power supplied by the 77-foot-high Great Falls and a system of water raceways that harnessed the power of the falls. During the latter half of the 19th century the county flourished as a result of several thriving industries, including the textile, firearms, silk. and railroad locomotive manufacturing industries. Samuel Colt produced firearms in Paterson, the county seat, in the 1800s before moving his business to Hartford, Connecticut. Toward the end of the 19th century, experiments with submarines by Irish-American inventor John Philip Holland took place in Passaic County. Later on, during World War II, the aircraft engine industry located in Passaic County played a vital role in the war effort.
Today, Passaic County remains an interesting blend of the old and the new. Throughout the county you will find numerous places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including museums, civic buildings, individual residences, and churches. The county’s proximity to the New York Metropolitan area, however, adds modern touches to the county as well. The county has also retained its immigrant roots, with a wide variety of races, ethnicities, and religions represented throughout the county.
Augulis Law Firm in the Passaic County Community
When estate planning is done properly, it should accomplish much more than simply creating a roadmap to be used to distribute your estate assets after your death. In fact, your estate plan can – and should – protect you and your loved ones while you are alive, help your assets grow during your lifetime and arrange for them to be used to provide for your loved ones when you are gone, and even ensure that your most deeply held beliefs are honored at the end of your life and after your death. Creating an estate plan that accomplishes all of this, however, requires the assistance of an experienced estate planning attorney. At the Augulis Law Firm we are committed to helping our Passaic County, New Jersey clients create just such an estate plan.
We work very hard to develop and nurture lasting relationships with our estate planning clients because estate planning should not be something that is completed in one sitting and then forgotten. Instead, changes in your life should lead to corresponding changes in your estate plan. Initially, your estate planning needs will likely focus on the desire to avoid leaving behind an intestate estate should something happen to you. For that, a simple Last Will and Testament is sufficient. As time goes by, however, you may find the need to add in additional components to your estate plan. When you marry, for instance, it may be time to incorporate incapacity planning into your overall estate plan. When you experience the joy of parenthood for the first time it may be time to incorporate and asset protection strategies as well as strategies aimed at protecting your minor children into your estate plan. As the value of your estate grows, you will need to consider tax avoidance and asset protection tools as well. Finally, as you look toward your “Golden Years,” you will want to incorporate your retirement plans into your estate plan and add Medicaid planning to your comprehensive estate plan along with funeral and burial planning tools to ensure that your final wishes are honored.
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 estate planning, contact the experienced Passaic County, New Jersey estate planning lawyers at Augulis Law Firm by calling 908-222-8803 to schedule your appointment today.
