Estates & Estate Tax Planning

McLario, Helm & Bertling - Milwaukee Estate Tax Planning Attorneys

If you need advice about minimizing your spouse's or heirs' exposure to federal and Wisconsin estate tax liability at the time of your death, contact the experienced Milwaukee estate tax planning lawyers at McLario, Helm & Bertling in Menomonee Falls. Our estate planning attorneys can help you make the most of your estate tax exemptions and find tax minimization solutions that make sense for your family's unique circumstances.

For many families, the transfer of assets (such as real estate or investment securities) into a revocable living trust during your lifetime will effectively pass property to your heirs while avoiding both probate and reducing estate tax liability. For other families, our estate tax planning solutions might include one or more of the following instruments, depending on many factors, such as the size of your estate, and each spouse's health:

• Credit shelter trusts or marital property agreements between spouses
• Family corporation or limited partnership formation
• Charitable contributions
• Gifts during your lifetime
• Irrevocable life insurance trusts

Our goal in all cases is to help you get the maximum benefit of your federal and state exemptions to minimize your estate's exposure to taxation. Because the threshold for Wisconsin estate tax liability is only $675,000, many families of relatively modest means will find themselves paying death taxes unless proper estate planning measures have been taken.

For further information and advice addressing your family's unique situation, contact the Waukesha County estate tax planning lawyers at McLario, Helm & Bertling.