What is an estate planning attorney?

Estate planning lawyers, also known as estate law lawyers or probate lawyers, are skilled and qualified legal experts with in-depth knowledge of state and federal laws that impact how your assets will be accounted for, evaluated, distributed, and taxed after your passing. An estate planning attorney understands, in addition, to the complexities of property rights, wills, probate, and trusts. 

To ensure that client assets passing both inside and outside of the will or trust are handled correctly, they offer legal advice and help. They also make sure that tax and legal issues will be addressed appropriately. It can be challenging to decide how to support different family members. Therefore estate planning attorneys may employ questionnaires to help clients assess their assets and liabilities and keep them in their decision-making. Now, let’s state the types of estate planning attorneys. 

Types of Estate Planning Attorneys-

All estate planning attorneys are divided into three major types according to their mastery of 1 of the critical estate planning tools, even though all estate planning attorneys have the same objective of helping their clients create a suitable estate plan and avoid probate and other charges. 

The following are the three major types of estate planning attorneys-

• Chartered Trust and Estate Planner(CTEP)
• Accredited Estate Planner(AEP)
• Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) 

1. Chartered Trust and Estate Planner (CTEP)  

These attorneys earn their title of CTEP from the Global Academy of Finance and Management after dedicating a minimum of three years to studying trusts or estate planning to the very core and honing their skills as well as gaining experience by working for high-net-worth customers. The following are some of the specialties of a chartered trust and estate planner-

• These attorneys can determine the impact of personal law issues on a client’s estate and inheritance planning, such as succession laws, guardianship laws, bankruptcy, adoption, divorce, etc.
• Can utilize the legalese supporting private client cases.
• Have a brief knowledge of the key elements and advantages of creating a will and how dying intestate affects a client’s fortune.
• Understands what steps are taken to administer a client’s estate and what the executor’s responsibilities are.

2. Accredited Estate Planner (AEP)

These attorneys receive their title of AEP from The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils(NAEPC). Their expertise and knowledge make them capable of providing their clients with the best estate planning advice. While these attorneys can perform all the same tasks as regular estate planners, they can still offer a superior level of service due to their connections with other specialists in their network and the resourceful utilization of their knowledge. The following are some of the specialties of an Accredited Estate Planner  –

• Accredited estate planners can assist with various estate planning requirements for citizens, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.
• An AEP offers clients years of estate planning expertise and understanding to provide you with the best estate service.
• These attorneys can easily handle extensive and intricate estate planning matters. Such as an estate plan that needs information specific to their experience. This enables them to give more specialized, meticulous service that is suitable for the difficulties posed by your estate.
• Like any other estate planning attorney, they can handle finances, business planning, insurance planning, and most other issues.

3. Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA)

These attorneys receive their title of CTFA from The American Bankers Association (ABA) and thus have a brief understanding and experience in handling taxation, financial planning, investment, trusts, and estates. Attorneys can work with Banks, trust businesses, insurance companies, brokerage firms, accounting firms, financial management firms, and estate planning law offices. Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisors are also qualified to do a variety of other jobs besides estate planning-

• Retirement Plan Advisor-

For employer-sponsored retirement plans like pensions, profit-sharing, and stock bonus plans. A Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor can act as a retirement plan advisor.

• Insurance Agent-

A certified trust and fiduciary advisor can issue life insurance, disability insurance, property, casualty, and long-term care insurance. 

• Financial Manager-

A Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor can help clients build, preserve, and increase their assets by serving as wealth managers.

Conclusion:

There are three types of estate planning attorneys Chartered Trust and Estate Planner, Accredited Estate Planner, Certified Trust, and Fiduciary Advisor. These attorneys have mastery of different estate planning tools, and they all serve the same purpose of saving an estate from probate; these attorneys function similarly in normal conditions, but in exceptional cases, the difference in their work is easily noticeable.