At B&M, we counsel a variety of successful individuals, families, business owners, executives, and other professionals on all aspects of estate and business succession planning. Our skill and experience enables us to pursue a variety of sophisticated strategies to help our clients protect their wealth and pass it on to their loved ones. We understand that creating an estate plan is a very personal process and that every client is unique. As such, we strive to help each client realize their individual goals and are committed to a team approach, working closely with a client's accountants, financial planners, and other advisors to develop and implement comprehensive strategies to further each client's diverse needs.

Based upon an individual or family's needs, we can provide basic estate planning advice, including the drafting of wills, revocable ("living") trusts, health care proxies and powers of attorneys, or employ more sophisticated estate planning techniques. We carefully consider the estate, gift, generation-skipping transfer and income tax consequences for every estate plan we draft to ensure the most tax-efficient results for our clients. Moreover, we help clients coordinate retirement plans, use life insurance, and design and implement annual gifting programs and other strategies to transfer wealth in the most tax efficient manner.

We also advise closely held business owners with business succession planning to ensure the proper transfer of control and ownership from one owner or ownership group to the next generation of owners. Many of our estate planning clients own "family" businesses where planning can affect the financial welfare of several generations. A succession plan for the family business must be developed and coordinated with the estate plan of the business owner. An integrated plan is essential to the continued operational and financial stability of a family business and to ensure that the value of the business will pass in a manner that will not give rise to avoidable taxes or disputes. In many cases, the integrated plan must include planning solutions for the spouse and children who work outside the family business to ensure they are adequately provided for.

Additionally, B&M provides assistance and guidance to ease the burdens of estate administration on family members grieving the loss of a loved one and the fiduciaries appointed to represent an estate. We offer assistance throughout the administration process and provide a comprehensive range of resources necessary to handle the probate court proceedings and filings, gift and estate tax matters, and the re-titling of decedents' assets.

We at B&M hope to have the opportunity to bring our experience and focus in this specialized field to you, your family, and your business. To begin the process, please fill out our Estate Planning Questionnaire or call our office to set up an appointment.

B&M offers services in the following areas: