Estate Planning

At Wade Ash LLC, we provide core estate planning documents, along with sophisticated planning for clients who need it. Basic estate planning documents include:

  • A will or revocable trust
  • A medical power of attorney
  • A financial power of attorney
  • A living will

For additional details on sophisticated estate planning techniques, please visit our estate and gift tax planning page.

Last Will and Testament

A well-drafted will clearly expresses what should happen with your assets when you die, but it also does much more. A will names the people you trust to protect your children and administer your affairs after your death. It helps your family avoid conflict and litigation by planning ahead for the unexpected. It also makes sure the people you trust will understand and carry out your wishes.

A carefully crafted will can be simple if that approach meets all of your goals, but your estate plan should include strong back-up plans to handle unexpected complications. We prepare more complex documents to address complicated issues, but we work hard to make our documents readable and understandable.

We also assist personal representatives of estates (Colorado’s terminology for executors) to efficiently administer probate. Please visit our probate and estate administration page for more information.

Revocable Trust

A revocable trust is a substitute for a will that avoids the need for probate when it is properly drafted and funded. A revocable trust can protect your assets in the event of a disability and simplify the estate administration process. Revocable trusts provide income tax advantages for married couples and certain types of assets. We also provide legal advice regarding trust administration to help beneficiaries and trustees understand and administer trusts.

Medical Documents

A medical power of attorney names someone you trust as your agent, who can make decisions about your medical needs and general welfare if you are unable to communicate your wishes due to a medical condition.

A living will gives your medical agent guidance about the type of care you want to receive.

Financial Power of Attorney

A financial power of attorney names someone you trust to be your financial agent. This document puts your agent in charge of managing your assets according to your instructions or for your best interests. Sometimes this document is called a general durable power of attorney or power of attorney for property.

Special Issues

A complete estate plan is customized to protect vulnerable loved ones, including young family members and family members with serious medical or financial issues. We can help you set up a plan to apply your assets for the benefit of your vulnerable beneficiaries, shielding them from divorces, bad decisions, or the loss of medical or housing benefits.

We also provide prenuptial agreements, marital agreements, and cohabitation agreements.

Contact Wade Ash

A large number of our clients, particularly in our Glenwood Springs office, are farmers or ranchers. We have worked with many families to craft estate plans that address their individual unique issues. If we can provide legal services to address your estate plan, we welcome you to contact us by calling (303) 322.8943 (Denver) or (970) 366.3727 (Glenwood Springs) or using the online contact form.