Understanding the difference between estate planning and asset protection is the first move you make when safeguarding your property for yourself and the next generations. The planning seems overwhelming and complex at first, but don’t worry. If you are still unaware of the difference, this post is for you. Many of us are familiar with “estate planning,” but what is asset protection? Here’s is the difference between the two:
The term “Asset protection” is pretty straightforward. Asset protection aims to discover new ways to protect the assets from any loss, seizure, or creditors. Estate planning and financial planning play a significant role in asset protection.
 If you have combined your financial goals with the estate plan goals and placed your assets protected from seizures or creditors, you already have established a well-thought asset protection plan.
On the contrary, estate planning is a process used to determine how to protect a person’s assets who no longer can manage them or has passed away. Estate planning is a complex and well-informed plan based on how to protect or manage the assets of a person who is incapable of managing his assets or no longer exists.
Estate planning is an essential component of the asset protection plan. You can hire an attorney for estate planning asset protection to protect your assets during your lifetime and after. In this post, we will discuss how estate planning is different from asset protection and everything you need to know about it. Without further ado, let’s start straight away:
Why Estate Planning is an essential component of Asset Protection?
Estate planning covers a comprehensive range of plans to protect and manage a person’s assets in his life and after death. The most important aspect of estate planning is the person’s last will or testament.
This legal document clearly expresses the person’s final wishes regarding how his property will be distributed after his death and which person will look after his property until the final distribution. It also ensures that all the outstanding debts are cleared and mentions the names of persons who will take care of the minor children.
Estate planning is much more than just a testament; by using the wide-ranging estate planning tools that are available, you can safeguard the rights of your loved ones and ensure that they are well cared for. Estate planning helps you in managing and preserving your property from frauds, seizures, creditors, and reduction by unnecessary costs and fees.
Estate Planning Keeps Your Property Safe During Your Life
It’s important to understand that estate planning policy is not developed solely for deceased people. It is a well-informed estate plan designed for people who cannot manage their property affairs during their lifetime due to any illness or old age. Estate planning ensures the protection and management of their assets during their life or after death.
The estate planning includes a power of attorney that is a legal authorization, which gives a chosen person, probably an intimate friend or relative- the ability to act or take decisions on their behalf, also known as “Attorney in Fact.”
The attorney has the legal right to take your financial decisions on your behalf. A power of attorney saves you from a court-appointed guardian, needless litigation, and unnecessary delay, and reduces administrative costs. A power of attorney can be broad or specific depending on the person’s desire. For example, the attorney’s role can come into action immediately after the appointment, or you can designate an attorney for a specific period.
There is another important document in a well-thought estate plan: Health care Proxy, a person of your choice who has the authority to make health decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make decisions by yourself.
A healthcare proxy plays a crucial role in making health care decisions. A well-documented estate plan designates a health care agent that protects you from unnecessary treatment delays and ensures that your health care wishes are fulfilled. A health care agent or proxy removes the need for a court-appointed guardian.
Types Of Trusts in Estate Planning
A trust is an essential component of the estate plan. It is a fiduciary agreement that holds your and your beneficiaries’ assets that you have dictated in your estate plan. The purpose of a trust is to minimize the estate taxes and get other protective advantages. There are various types of trusts in estate plannings, such as
- Special needs trusts
- Revocable trusts
- Realty Trusts
- Charitable Trusts
- Living Trusts
- Joint Trusts
- Testamentary Trusts
There is a variety of benefits of trust as it protects your assets from dissipation at the hands of careless beneficiaries. It makes sure that the assets that you have earned all these years benefit you and your future generations.
The Benefits of Asset Protection
Asset protection is not only about protecting your wealth from creditors or seizures. It is a method used to protect your assets from dissipation or any other loss resulting from uncertain situations.
Asset protection ensures that the wealth you have earned lifelong goes in safe hands. It protects your wealth from being dissipated or absorbed by creditors or any financial complications such as divorce alimony.
Asset protection helps protect residential property, commercial property, funds, business interests, and more. It provides you stability in a world of uncertainties. Solid asset protection can save you and your loved ones from any financial loss.
It keeps your asset preserved without getting engaged in any fraudulent transfers, hiding of assets, bankruptcy, or tax evasion. The ideal time for asset protection is before any claim, lawsuit or liability appears. After any liability appears, it’s already too late to opt for asset protection.
Final Thoughts:
Estate planning and asset protection are often used interchangeably, though these are not the same. But estate plannings and asset protection are somewhat familiar. You can save your assets by using estate planning and asset protection strategies. These strategies ensure that your assets are protected from any loss or dissipation and distributed according to your testament.