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...ELG IS THE PLACE TO GO...
ELG is the place to go if you want your estate planning documents done right. The attorneys and staff are very knowledgeable and helpful.
How Elder Law Group PLLC Can Help You
Asset Protection Estate Planning™
You can take comfort knowing your loved ones will be taken care of after you are gone. We work closely with you to make sure you, your family, and your assets are protected with Asset Protection Estate Planning.
Wills & Asset Protection Trusts
A Will is an important part of Estate Planning. A Will can offer far more protections than just making sure assets are distributed after your death as you intend. You can protect your beneficiaries from creditors, taxes, exploitation, loss of benefits, bad choices, and even Long-Term Care costs. ELG Estate Planning’s experienced attorneys can answer your questions so you understand how an Asset Protection Will works.
Durable Powers of Attorney
The most important legal documents you can have during your lifetime are Durable Powers of Attorney for financial matters and health care / medical decisions. Without good, effective Durable Powers of Attorney, if someone can no longer manage their affairs, the state steps in and imposes a court-ordered Guardianship. With good legal documents you can keep the state out of your affairs. Choosing the right person as your Power of Attorney, also called the “Attorney-in-Fact,” is an extremely important decision. Whomever you choose will have decision-making authority over your property, money, and your health care if you are not able to manage your own affairs.
Health Care Directives
To make sure your end-of-life wishes are known and followed, you need a Health Care Directive, also known as an Advance Directive or Living Will.
Probate & Trust Administration
Losing a loved one is never easy. The last thing anyone needs when dealing with a death is a difficult probate, estate or trust administration process. We provide clear and compassionate guidance to families regarding post-death estate administration. We can help you determine if probate is necessary or not, and what steps are needed to protect and distribute assets.
Long-Term Care Planning
Planning for Long-Term Care is a necessary step in overall Estate Planning. You want to be prepared with good options that fit your family’s needs before a crisis happens. We believe that no one should have to choose between quality of care and ensuring your assets are protected. We provide guidance as to resources, not just for care, but government benefits too.
Medicaid Asset Preservation Strategies®
Medicaid can be an important part of Long-Term Care and Estate Planning, though it is not appropriate for everyone. Because of our extensive knowledge of Medicaid benefits, we help you understand if your Estate Plan could benefit from available state and federal benefits. Medicaid is an extraordinarily complex area of law, one that ELG Estate Planning can help you navigate to preserve assets and qualify for Long-Term Care benefits without going broke.
Let’s Get The
Conversation Started
The first step to a successful Estate Plan is simple: reach out and learn more. We have helped hundreds of clients get started. Understanding your goals and your concerns is what is most important. Everyone’s situation is unique. Find out how we can help you get your plan in place for what matters most to you. Call us at 509-283-1542 in eastern Washington, or 206-627-4309 in Seattle, and let’s begin the conversation today to secure your future.
Next Step:
The Consultation
You will meet with an experienced member of our Team who will speak with you one on one about your goals and concerns. Whether you are interested in Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Long-Term Care costs, or Medicaid benefits, we will show you how we can help.
The consultation is the opportunity for you to understand more about your situation and how our services can accomplish your goals. That gives you the information you need to decide if we are the right firm for you. If so, we become your lawyers and move to the next step.
Legal Strategy Meeting – Crafting The Plan To Meet Your Needs And Beyond
One of our experienced attorneys will meet with you to give you guidance on legal strategies and options that accomplish your goals. We take the time to make sure you understand your plan and how it works. We provide a detailed, but understandable explanation so you understand your plan, giving you the peace of mind and security you deserve.
As your legal counsel, we work hard to earn your trust so you have complete confidence in your plan. We will be here for you to guide you through it all.
Why Choose ELG Estate Planning
ELG Estate Planning is a regional leader in Asset Protection Estate Planning; its founder is recognized as a Top-Rated Attorney in Elder Law.
ELG Estate Planning has three convenient locations: Spokane, Tri-Cities and Seattle.
Our focus is exclusively Estate Planning and Elder Law because you deserve a law firm who is skilled, experienced, and up-to-date on Elder Law and Estate Planning: Wills with Asset Protection, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Long-Term Care, Medicaid benefits, Probate, and Trust and Estate Administration. ELG Estate Planning is dedicated to serving your needs and ensuring high-quality legal representation while supporting you in every way we can.
You’ll find a wealth of information on our website. We encourage you to explore our website to see how we can help you. We look forward to planning with you.
Attorneys You Can Trust
Our attorneys are experienced and dedicated to protecting you and your family. We are experts in Estate Planning and Elder Law. We create an Estate Plan for you that takes into account laws that allows asset protection for families, and government benefit rules, like Medicaid that pays for Long-Term Care costs without having to spend down all of your money. Government benefit rules are extremely complicated and subject to regulation and rule changes.
Seniors are especially affected, it is really important to work with a law firm skilled in estate planning and elder law like ELG Estate Planning. We know the rules, the planning options, and will be there for you as your trusted legal counsel providing the best plan for you.
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Compassion Respect
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What We Can Do For You
With ELG Estate Planning’s multi-generational approach to estate planning, you can enjoy your future, including your retirement with peace of mind, knowing that you have a plan in place.
Lynn St. Louis
Lynn St. Louis is the founder of Elder Law Group PLLC, also known as ELG Estate Planning. She believes that no one is more deserving of dependable, experienced and compassionate support than our seniors. Lynn experienced first-hand the unique challenges facing those in need of Long-Term Care and Estate Planning by providing care and guidance for her own parents, both of whom have now passed.
meet the teamCommon Questions
What is a will with an asset protection trust?
A Will with an Asset Protection Trust protects assets for a surviving spouse or any beneficiary. To allow for flexibility, funding of the Trust can either be mandatory or contingent. If contingent, upon the death of the first spouse, a decision will be made at that time whether to protect assets through funding the Asset Protection Trust for the surviving spouse with the deceased spouse’s assets. Importantly, the Asset Protection Trust shields assets from unnecessary depletion. Assets in the Trust are not considered “countable” by Medicaid or other government needs-based benefit programs. Thus a Will with an Asset Protection Trust avoids depleting funds unnecessarily, and is especially useful if expensive Long-Term Care is needed by the surviving spouse. Couples can protect 50% to up to 100% of their estate from Long-Term Care expenses, creditors, and the State.
A Will with an Asset Protection Trust not only protects assets for the surviving spouse, but also for other beneficiaries should they need asset protection at the time they inherit. Furthermore, assets that remain in the trust ultimately will be distributed according to the wishes of the first spouse to pass, thus avoiding “unintentional disinheritance” of your beneficiaries due to unforeseen future events, such as remarriage.
When is probate required?
Assets in the decedent’s name alone, with no joint tenancy and no beneficiary designation, must go through the probate process to determine who is entitled to receive them. If some assets must be probated, that does not mean that every asset the decedent owned is subject to the probate process — only those assets in the decedent’s name alone need to be probated.
An estate of less than $100,000 can be administered through the use of a simple affidavit if the decedent owns no real property solely in their name.
How much does Long-Term Care cost?
The cost of Long-Term Care varies widely by geographic region, level of care and individual facilities and caretakers. Costs vary tremendously, with larger metropolitan areas and eastern states generally seeing higher costs than smaller communities in the south and west. In Washington, the average statewide rate for skilled nursing is $9,038 as of January 2017, according to Medicaid. In practicality, however, the rates charged often are $10,000 to $12,000 per month.
Adult family homes and assisted living facility typically charge about half of the skilled nursing rate. The actual cost is dependent upon the care provided and the facility. Care in the home may be the least expensive or most expensive, depending upon the level of care needed.