Support your loved ones after you’re gone.
Planning for the future isn’t just prudent—it’s an act of love. At Barlow Anderson, we understand the importance of securing your legacy and providing for your loved ones. Our comprehensive estate planning services give you peace of mind, ensuring your assets are protected and your wishes are honored when it matters most.
What is Estate Planning?
Estate planning empowers you to make important decisions today that will affect your family tomorrow. It’s the process of organizing your financial and personal affairs to manage your estate during your lifetime and after your passing. Through carefully crafted legal documents, you determine how your assets should be distributed, who will manage your affairs, and how your healthcare decisions should be handled if you become unable to do so yourself.
Learn more about our Estate Planning Process and Frequently Asked Questions
Our Estate Planning Services
Last Will and Testament
Your will is a cornerstone of your estate plan—your voice when you can no longer speak for yourself. We help you draft a clear, legally binding will that specifies your exact wishes for the distribution of assets, appointment of a personal representative (executor), and guardianship of minor children. A properly drafted will ensures your final wishes are respected and provides crucial guidance to your loved ones during a difficult time.
Revocable Living Trusts
For individuals and couples seeking comprehensive estate planning that goes beyond a will, a revocable living trust offers significant advantages. This powerful tool allows you to maintain control of your assets during your lifetime while providing seamless management if you become incapacitated. Unlike a will, assets properly funded into your trust avoid probate entirely, saving your loved ones’ time, expense, and public proceedings.
Your trust can include detailed instructions for asset management and distribution, providing:
- Privacy protection for your financial affairs and beneficiaries
- Flexibility to modify terms as your circumstances change
- Continuity of management during incapacity without court intervention
- Simplified asset transfer to beneficiaries without delays or court costs
- Consolidation of assets under one cohesive plan, especially valuable for property owned in multiple states
- Protection for minor children through structured distributions and professional management
- Peace of mind knowing your affairs are organized and your wishes clearly documented
Whether established individually or jointly with a spouse, a revocable living trust serves as the cornerstone of a well-designed estate plan that protects what matters most to you.
Trust Funding Services
Establishing a revocable living trust is only the first step in your estate planning journey. Without proper funding, your trust remains an empty vessel, unable to fulfill its intended purpose. Our comprehensive trust funding services ensure your assets are properly transferred into your trust, activating the protections and benefits you’ve established.
Our experienced team will:
- Conduct a thorough inventory of your assets and determine optimal funding strategies
- Prepare and file all necessary deeds for real estate transfers
- Assist with retitling vehicles, boats, and other titled property
- Guide you through changing beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts
- Help transfer financial accounts, stocks, and investment portfolios
- Document personal property transfers through assignment schedules
- Provide clear instructions for handling future assets
- Perform follow-up reviews to verify proper funding and address any oversights
Trust funding is a critical but often overlooked aspect of estate planning. Our meticulous approach ensures probate-avoidance and implements incapacity planning provided by your trust. We’ll handle the complex paperwork and processes, giving you confidence that your estate plan will work as designed when your loved ones need it most.
Powers of Attorney
Who would you trust to make decisions if you couldn’t? A durable power of attorney allows you to appoint someone you trust to make financial and legal decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. Without this essential document, your loved ones may face court proceedings to gain authority over your affairs, resulting in delays, expenses, and potential conflicts.
Our comprehensive durable powers of attorney ensure your financial affairs continue to be managed according to your wishes, even when you cannot express them.
We carefully craft these documents to:
- Grant specific powers tailored to your unique situation
- Include clear guidelines that reflect your preferences and values
- Provide seamless authority that activates precisely when needed
- Coordinate seamlessly with your other estate planning documents
By thoughtfully selecting your agent and creating a properly drafted power of attorney now, you protect your autonomy and provide clear direction when it matters most, giving both you and your loved one’s peace of mind during difficult times.
Healthcare Directives
Your medical care should always reflect your values and wishes, even when you cannot speak for yourself. In Alaska, the statutory Advanced Healthcare Directive is a powerful legal document that allows you to express your medical treatment preferences and appoint someone to advocate for your healthcare decisions when you’re unable to communicate.
- Healthcare Power of Attorney: Designates your chosen representative to make medical decisions based on your known wishes
- Living Will Instructions: Clearly documents your preferences regarding life-sustaining treatments and end-of-life care
- Personal Values Statement: Allows you to communicate your beliefs and priorities to guide your healthcare agent
We take time to understand your values, beliefs, and preferences, translating them into clear, legally binding instructions that Alaska healthcare providers recognize and respect. Our process ensures your directive accurately reflects your wishes while meeting all legal requirements for validity in our state. By creating this essential document now, you provide both guidance to your healthcare team and peace of mind for your loved ones during difficult times.
Guardianship Designations
Guardianship Designations for Minor Children
Your children deserve care from someone you trust. If you have minor children, naming a guardian in your estate plan ensures they will be cared for by people you’ve personally selected if the unthinkable happens. Without proper guardianship designations, a court might appoint someone you wouldn’t have chosen, creating uncertainty during an already difficult time.
We guide you through the thoughtful process of selecting and legally designating guardians who will nurture your children’s future if you’re unable to do so.
Our approach helps you:
- Consider important factors beyond family relationships, including parenting values, stability, and location
- Designate both immediate and long-term guardians to ensure continuous care
- Address financial provisions to support your children’s upbringing
- Document your reasoning to provide clarity for family members and the court
- Create backup appointments in case your first choice is unable to serve
- Include specific guidance on your children’s education, religious upbringing, and other values important to you
By making these crucial decisions now, you provide a roadmap for your children’s care that reflects your deepest wishes and values, giving you peace of mind that they’ll be in loving, capable hands no matter what the future holds.
Special Needs Planning
Ensure lifetime care for vulnerable loved ones. Thoughtful estate planning is essential to ensure the well-being and financial security of family members with special needs. We help establish special needs trusts that provide for a child or adult with a disability without jeopardizing their eligibility for essential government benefits. Properly managed assets within these specialized trusts ensure ongoing care and financial stability, reflecting your wishes even after you’re gone.
Why Choose Barlow Anderson?
At Barlow Anderson, we don’t just prepare documents—we build relationships. Our dedicated team provides personalized and effective estate planning services tailored to your unique needs and goals. Our compassionate and knowledgeable attorneys take the time to understand your wishes, concerns, and family dynamics to develop a comprehensive plan that truly protects your assets and provides for your loved ones.
Planning for the future can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Contact Barlow Anderson today to schedule a consultation and begin securing your legacy with confidence. Let us help you create a clear and effective estate plan that gives you and your family peace of mind for whatever the future may bring.
