Louisiana
Estate Planning
Made Simple
Digital resource center for Louisiana estate planners, no matter where you are in your journey.
Your Estate Planning Journey Starts Here !
Estate
Planning
Made
Simple
Estate Planning Made Simple
Create a Handwritten Louisiana Will Right Now!
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Get Your Inventory Done with Ease!
The first and most important step in any estate planning process is creating an inventory of everything you own (and owe).
✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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A: Yes.
Seriously, yes pretty much everyone needs a will.
If you:
own a house
have kids
own a business
are a single parent
are over the age of 18 with a bank account
have inherited property or assets
have sold or want to sell your business
have a pension or retirement account
have significant savings or investments
Then you definitely need a will.
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A: If you don’t have a will, Louisiana law will determine where your property goes after you die.
This is called dying intestate.
The default rules may be what you want, but they may not. And if you don’t know what those default rules are or you don’t want the state deciding where your property goes, then you need a will.
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A: An executor is the person who is responsible for gathering all of your property after you die and distributing it to the people named in your will.
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A: A power of attorney is a document that gives someone the power to act on your behalf if you are unable to do so. Now you can give a power of attorney even if you are competent.
Probably the most frequently used limited power of attorney is to allow your real estate agent to sign the documents to sell your property if you are out of state.
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A: A usufruct is one way that property can be held in Louisiana.
It divides the property between a usufructuary and a naked owner.
The usufructuary has the ability to use the property and get the rent or income from the property for a certain term (usually their lifetime), and at the end of the term, the property automatically passes to the naked owner.
It is very similar to a life estate in other states
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A: Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but having a will in and of itself will not protect you from death taxes.
By death taxes, I mean federal or state estate or inheritance taxes.
But there is good news!
First, Louisiana does not have any death taxes.
Second, currently the federal estate tax exemption is over $12 million per person.
So if you are a single person in Louisiana and die with less than the exemption amount of just over $12 million, no federal death taxes are due.
And if you are married, you can essentially have over $24 million of exemption. The estate tax exemption is set to go down to around $6 million in 2026.
Estate Planning Services
When you need a Louisiana estate planning lawyer to prepare your estate plan thoughtfully, strategically, and accurately.
Addie Prewitt offers one-on-one estate planning services for those needing the support of a legal professional.
Estate Planning Workbook
$49.00 $75.00
The Louisiana Estate Planning Workbook is a downloadable, interactive workbook. This supplemental toolkit is designed to prepare you for the entire estate planning. This is a digital product with lifetime access.
Louisiana Living Will Template
$39.00 $49.00
This user-friendly template includes step-by-step instructions and a straightforward declaration of living will template that’s easy to complete.
Tailored to Louisiana's specific legal requirements, it includes provisions for making critical medical decisions and appointing witnesses.
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The Louisiana Living Will template is a legal document and, when completed accurately, can be recognized by the state of Louisiana during the estate planning process.
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Upon purchase, you will receive the following:
1 downloadable copy of the Living Will Template with link to the Google Doc.
Each download includes 1 instruction page and 1 Declaration of Living Will template.
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The Living Will Template includes a Declaration of Living Will document that is recognized by the state of Louisiana.
There are instructions included in the template, as well.
This document is intended for general information purposes and does not include any legal advice.
Should you require legal advice, or would like this document reviewed by a legal professional, please contact me or another estate planning attorney directly.
Create a Handwritten Louisiana Will Right Now!
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