John M Andersen

Your family, your business, your legacy matters. I am a Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law. I work with my clients to ensure their legacy provides, protects and prospers. I have extensive experience in

·         Estate Planning

·         Sophisticated Wealth Transfer

·         Asset Protection

·         Business Succession Planning

·         Personal Privacy Planning

·         Family and Charitable Gift Planning

·         Marital and Domestic Partnership

·         Probate and Trust Administration

          Guardianship and Special Needs

·         Estate and Gift Tax Representation

·         Mediation and Nonjudicial Binding Agreements 

Estate Planning
I work with clients to create custom estate plans that are right for their needs across all aspects of planning including trusts, wills, durable powers of attorney, advance health care directives, government filings and related documents and trustee selection and management. I advise clients on options to avoid court-supervised probates or conservatorships and minimize estate taxes. I counsel parents on appointing guardians and trustees for minor children and the creation of trusts for adult children to provide asset protection in the event of divorce, bankruptcy or legal judgment. I continue to work beyond the plan on all the details that make the plan work, trustee management, beneficiary advising, financial and taxation issues.  

Sophisticated Wealth Transfer, Asset Protection and Business Succession and IPO Planning
I counsel high net worth individuals including, business and property owners, entrepreneurs, and investors on sophisticated planning strategies designed to minimize gift and estate taxes and preserve and protect business and personal assets now and for future generations.

Personal Privacy Planning 
I work with public figures and other clients requiring privacy to create and implement planning to limit risk or necessity of public disclosure including title holding and fictious name trust and qualified blind trusts for buying, selling and holding assets. 

Family and Charitable Gift Planning
I counsel clients on tax efficient methods of making lifetime gifts to children, grandchildren, charities, alma maters, etc., including preparation of qualified personal residence trusts (QPRTs), irrevocable Crummey trusts or 2503(c)(3) trusts, grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs) and irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs).  I assist clients with making substantial gifts to charity, including establishment of private foundations and creation of charitable remainder trusts.

Probate and Trust Administration
I represent clients in all aspects of probate and trust administration, including assisting executors, administrators and trustees in fulfilling their legal and administrative obligations. Counsel beneficiaries regarding their interests in trusts or estates. I prepare federal gift and estate tax returns and am authorized to practice before the IRS.