Cushing & Dolan, P.C. | Attorneys At Law

Handling Sophisticated Estate Planning Needs for You and Your Family. Call: 888-759-5109

Cushing & Dolan, P.C. | Attorneys At Law
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Over 275 Combined Years Of Legal Experience
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Needham Estate Planning And Asset Protection

Owning a Needham home, a business or an investment portfolio raises a question many put off: What happens to it when you are gone? Cushing & Dolan, P.C., provides estate and business succession planning across MetroWest. Six of our attorneys hold advanced law degrees in taxation and our leadership includes certified public accountants (CPA). A Needham estate planning attorney at our firm can evaluate your plan the way the Department of Revenue will.

Bringing Your Needham Business Into Your Family Estate Plan

Many Needham business owners hold their company in a limited liability company (LLC) separate from their personal estate plan. That business interest passes to someone at your death. Without a legal plan, it may land in probate or with a co-owner who never wanted a partner. Business succession planning in Needham coordinates the operating agreement, a buy-sell agreement and your trust so the company transfers on your terms.

Avoiding Probate And Protecting Your Home From Long-Term Care Costs

Two goals come up in almost every client meeting: Keeping the estate out of probate court and keeping the home away from long-term care costs. MassHealth reviews five years of transfers before paying for nursing home care. A trust attorney in Needham has several tools for both: 

  • Revocable living trust: Assets titled in the trust pass to your beneficiaries without a probate filing.
  • Irrevocable trust: Moving the home into one can shield it from MassHealth estate recovery once the five-year look-back passes.
  • Healthcare proxy and durable power of attorney: These essential documents name who decides medical and financial questions if you cannot, sparing your family a guardianship petition.

If a loved one died without these documents, our probate lawyers in Needham handle the court process.

Reducing The Massachusetts Estate Tax

Massachusetts taxes estates above $2 million, and a paid-off Needham home plus a retirement account can cross that line. An estate planning lawyer in Needham with tax law training has options: Credit shelter trusts, lifetime gifting and charitable giving can bring an estate under the threshold or minimize overall tax exposure.

Get Straight Answers About Your Estate And Your Business

A Needham asset protection lawyer at Cushing & Dolan, P.C., can review your deed, LLC documents and current will or trust, then tell you plainly what needs to change and what does not. Our attorneys bring 275 years of collective experience to clients in Needham, Dedham, Westwood and Dover. Call 888-759-5109 or send us a message about your estate to schedule a meeting.