Webinar – Pet Power: Understanding Estate Planning for Pets

Greetings!

Pets are an integral part of American life. For many, the great joy, love, affection, and satisfaction derived from the experience of pet ownership is one of life’s great experiences. Millions of pet owners across the country make huge sacrifices for the care and maintenance of their pets and consider them part of their family, and many owners consider their pets even more important than human companions. Pet ownership also provides many ancillary benefits to people, including improved health. Yet pets have not always been considered “people” for estate planning purposes. Fortunately, that is all a thing of the past. In this one-hour workshop, Stephen R. Elville, lead attorney and managing partner of Elville and Associates, P.C., will lead a discussion about how individuals may develop pet-related provisions in their estate plan for the care, maintenance, security, and long-term well-being of the pet(s), thereby creating an empowering situation for the owner, the trustee of a trust for the benefit of a pet, the caretaker or custodian of the pet, and for the pet itself.

• Why clients should consider the use of pet care provisions in Wills and Trusts
• Why pet care provisions in power of attorney documents are equally important
• Understanding Maryland law relating to pet trusts
• Utilizing a stand-alone pet trust versus other alternatives
• Understanding practical pet care provisions outside of formal pet trusts
• Utilizing Letters of Wishes for pet care
• The structure of pet trusts – how does it all work
• The funding and alignment of assets in pet trusts and pet care-related provisions