Protecting Your Legacy Through Strategic Estate Planning
With Over 40 Years of Experience, Robert L. Searles Jr. Helps
You Create Wills, Trusts, and Tax-Efficient Plans
Meet Robert L. Searles Jr.
Minnesota estate planning attorney, Robert L Searles, Jr., is the owner and principal attorney for Searles Law Office. With over 40 years of experience in estate planning, financial and tax planning, management, and trusts, Bob is able to provide creative, in-depth strategies for complicated estate planning situations.
Tax-Efficient Wealth Transfer Strategies
Individuals often find themselves in situations where it is desirable to pass on the financial legacy of their work without losing large amounts needlessly to taxes. Bob has a Master's degree in Taxation, which gives clients the benefit of a trained, expert perspective that includes working ethically within the tax laws to minimize or eliminate estate and capital gain taxes.
Educational Background
Bob graduated with his Juris Doctor from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from Middlebury College in Vermont. Seeking an added dimension to his legal and financial experience, Bob obtained his Master of Laws in Taxation degree from the Boston University College of Law over 25 years ago.
The Estate Planning Process
For most people, the estate planning process is neither
complicated nor time-consuming. The more complex your financial or family situation is, the more time the process will take from beginning to end.
Initial Consultation Process
On average, the married couple or single individual with children will spend about one to two hours in an initial consultation to discuss their needs and the possible solutions to their situation. Then, most clients go home with a list of three or more items to discuss and then to send additional information or decisions back to Bob.
Preparing for Your First Meeting
Prior to the first meeting, it is desirable but not essential that a prospective client fill out a basic information form. The additional information form is helpful, but can be completed as the first meeting progresses. It is important for a client to understand that simple family and financial information is all that is required to begin the estate planning process.
Document Drafting & Review Process
Once that information has been communicated to Bob's office (usually by e-mail, fax, or phone), the drafting process begins. Within a week to ten days, he will schedule a second appointment with the client to review the documents and to sign them. In the interim, you may have one or more email exchanges or conversations to clarify issues that have been raised.
Guided Document Review & Signing
While Bob is willing and able to deliver drafts of documents to clients before the second meeting, he finds that the documents can be confusing or overwhelming without some guidance. For most clients, it is easier for them to return for the second meeting, where they will receive a “guided tour” through their documents and the follow-up tasks that they should take care of. This second meeting to review and sign documents can take between 45 minutes and two hours, depending on the questions and issues raised.
Finalizing Your Estate Plan
At the second meeting, you will receive the original of all of your documents, as well as an instruction letter describing what you need to do to implement the final stages of the plan. This will be the road map to ensuring that your family can deal with death or disability without undue complications.
Affordable, Stress-Free Estate Planning
Most clients tell Bob that the process is far easier than they thought. And the cost is not much more than new drapes for your living room and dining room. The majority of estate plans cost between $1,000 and $2,000. Please call Bob for an appointment to see how easy planning your estate can be. It will be the best gift you can ever give to your family.