Our Approach

We believe in creating estate plans that work. What we mean by that is that the plan and its related documents will actually accomplish the goals and objectives of the clients during their lifetime, in the event of a mental disability and at death. In order to create plans that work, we seek to understand the clients’ goals and objectives before offering solutions. Ultimately, it’s not only about the documents; it is about the process of counseling, designing and updating.

There is a common misconception that when someone creates a will or trust, their estate plan is finished. The truth is that many estate plans created under this 'transactional’ method may not work or they will be unnecessarily expensive to administer after death. The fundamental problem with the 'do it once’ approach is that it fails to account for changes, both in your life and the law, that impact your plan. Changes in your personal, family, or financial situations, changes in goals and objectives, or changes in the tax laws all can impact your estate plan.

At Squillace & Associates, we measure the effectiveness of an estate plan by whether or not the plan enables our clients to pass what they own to whom they want, when they want and the way they want, all while maintaining control during life and in the event of disability. Our approach is to create and maintain an estate plan that enables you to take care of yourself and the ones that you love, while at the same time maximizing and preserving the wealth that you have worked so hard to accumulate. We also work hard to help our clients capture and transmit life's lessons (their unique wisdom) in addition to their wealth.

The key to achieving these goals is for us to gain a thorough understanding of what your needs, goals, dreams and aspirations are. This is of the utmost importance so that we can create a plan that not only accounts for where you are in life currently, but where you may go in the future. Additionally, we strive to gain an understanding of your family, both the individuals that you care about and the dynamics of your relationship with those individuals. The more insights we gain in this regard, the better suited we are to create a plan that will accomplish your goals.

Our work is not finished after the creation of the plan. After the planning documents are in place, we work with you to establish a formal updating program that will ensure that your estate plan maintains its effectiveness. The updating program allows us to work with you to make necessary adjustments to your plan as changes in your life or the law arise. Each year, you will be updated on cutting-edge techniques and the best practices that the estate planning profession has to offer. In the end, this method – and investment on your part - will help you to avoid the inefficiencies and expenses of failing to keep your plan current.

Finally, we embrace a team approach to address your planning needs. In order to better serve our clients, we suggest that all of your professional advisors (your attorney, financial advisor, accountant, and insurance agent) collaborate throughout the estate planning process. This not only allows us to obtain a great deal of comprehensive information regarding your estate, but also it allows your other advisors the chance to offer their expertise and stay informed as to your current status. This contact makes it much more likely that you will have an estate plan that works for you.

Getting Started

In an effort to get as much information as we can, we encourage everyone that comes in to the office for estate planning services, to fill out a Personal Information Form. This form collects information from a wide variety of asset categories. We encourage prospective clients to fill out this as completely as they can prior to our initial meeting in order to better understand their needs.

For single individuals, download your PIF here.

For couples (married and unmarried), download your PIF here.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at (617) 716-0300 or info@squillace-law.com.