Burlington estate planning lawyers at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC will help you to make effective use of legal tools to protect your loved ones. For many clients, it is not just people who you want to protect and to provide for — it is animals as well. Our legal team will work closely with you to make sure that your pets will be safe and secure even if something should happen to you. 
To find out more about how our firm can provide you with help planning ahead for your animal’s future just in case you cannot be there to care for them, you should give us a call. You can also read on to learn more about how Burlington estate planning lawyers will help you to make a plan to keep your animals from harm in the event of your incapacity or untimely death.
How Burlington Estate Planning Lawyers Help You Protect Your Pets
When you pass away or if you become incapacitated, it is vital that you have named a trusted person who can provide you with help ensuring that your pets are cared for. Many pets end up homeless, in shelters, or with people who their owners would not have entrusted to be caregivers when the pet’s owner dies or becomes too sick to take care of the pet any longer. You want to make sure your animal is not euthanized in a shelter or left with an uncaring owner if you become unable to provide care yourself.
To do this, you should name a person in your estate plan who will take over the care of your pet if you are not able to provide that care any longer. You should talk with your chosen person to confirm that they are willing to take on the responsibility associated with caring for the pet. You should also name a backup person just in case, because caring for an animal is a big responsibility and things could happen that make your chosen person unable to provide care when it becomes necessary.
Caring for a pet is also a big financial commitment, and you may want to provide money to ensure that your animal is able to receive the highest quality care if you cannot be there. You can do this in a few different ways. You could just specify in your will that you want to put money aside for the care of your animal, but this isn’t usually the best approach to take. Your pet obviously can’t inherit and manage money directly and if you just leave money to the pet’s chosen guardian in a last will and testament, there is no guarantee of how the money will be spent.
Instead, it may be advisable to create a trust and to fund that trust with money and property that you intend to be used for the care of your pet. You can make a legally valid trust document with help from Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC and name a trusted person as the trustee to manage trust assets. You can specify in your trust document how the trust funds should be spent to ensure your pet’s care and enhance your pet’s quality of life after you are gone. The trustee will be responsible for following your instructions and will have a fiduciary duty to use the money as intended for your pet’s benefit. And, you can choose to have any remaining funds go to an animal rescue or other charity or to be inherited by any person you’d prefer.
Getting Help from Burlington Estate Planning Lawyers
Burlington estate planning lawyers at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC can work with you to make a pet plan, either as part of your comprehensive estate plan to provide for all of your loved ones or as a standalone plan because you are concerned about your pet’s future in case something happens to you.
You can join us for a free seminar to find out about pet planning and all of the estate planning services that we can provide to you. You can also give us a call at (802) 879-7133 or contact us online to get personalized advice and get your pet plan underway.
Stephen Unsworth
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