IN Shaler Winter 2018 | Page 35

Marquette & & Peace SPONSORED CONTENT SPONSORED CONTENT Marie Rebecca Carolyn Spicer Curley Carolyn Carolyn Nora Nora Curley Curley Jeanne Jeanne Marie Marie Rebecca Carolyn Nora Nora Curley Jeanne Jeanne Marie Rebecca Rebecca Marquette Olds Russ Peace Spicer Spicer Russ Russ Peace Peace Peace Marquette Marquette Marquette Olds Olds Olds Spicer Russ • Wills, • Wills, POAs POAs & Trusts & Trusts Real • Real Estate & Business & Business Law • Wills, POAs & Trusts • Real • Estate & Estate Business Law Law • Estates • & Estates & Probate & Probate • Elder Law & Guardianships & Guardianships • Estates Probate • Elder • Elder Law & Law Guardianships Olds, Russ, Marquette & Peace, LLC Estate Lawyers 412.492.8975 412.492.8975 412.492.8975 Your Neighborhood 1007 1007 Mt. Mt. Royal Royal Blvd. Blvd. (Shaler), (Shaler), Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA PA 15223 15223 1007 Mt. Royal Blvd. (Shaler), Pittsburgh, PA 15223 L [email protected] [email protected] www.oldsruss.com www.oldsruss.com [email protected] www.oldsruss.com et’s face it, nobody is thrilled about estate planning; the process requires imagining hard realities. Nonetheless, whether you’re already retired, or you’re raising young children, everyone benefits by having a plan in place. At Olds, Russ, Marquette & Peace, the attorneys can help you overcome the complicated emotional or familial hurdles that people often face, with the decades of expertise they have at their disposal. “We offer personal and professional legal services right in your community. You don’t have to fight traffic and go downtown to some huge office building. We don’t treat our work like a one-time business transaction; we want to earn our clients’ trust so they feel comfortable using our services throughout their lifetime. We’re here to help individuals and couples prepare an estate plan so that it’s as easy as possible on their loved ones. Our job is to make the paperwork process of handling an estate, after a death or tragedy, as efficient and tolerable as possible. This way, family members can grieve in their own way and focus on the emotional end of things,” says Jeanne Marie Marquette. According to the attorneys, people typically seek out their services upon the occurrence of major life events, like births, deaths, divorces and remarriages. But there is also a common three-part pattern that families with children follow. “People come to us when they have minor children who need guardians named in case of the loss of parents,” Nora Peace observes. “They typically come back to revise that plan when their children are of the age to take a leadership role in planning. Then generally, the last time an estate plan is revisited is when couples or the surviving parent want to make final plans for division of their estate to their children and/or grandchildren. It’s a very personal process, and, we try to understand the emotional dynamics that are going on in the family, so that our client has complete peace of mind regarding their planning.” Carolyn Russ adds that while the above situations are the most common times people seek them out, her advice is always to not procrastinate. “When people don’t take the time to put things in writing, it’s the family who suffers, and nobody would ever want that,” she says. Russ notes that for blended families the situation is especially stark. “Pennsylvania law makes provisions for decedents who have no will. When there are children who don’t all share the same parents, the outcome can be distressing for both children and the second spouse.” And while younger or unmarried people may put off or think that they don’t need estate planning services, it could be one of the most critical times when a plan would help them the most. Especially if you don’t have a spouse or children, you should be sure to have a Power of Attorney so that someone can make financial and/or medical decisions in case of an emergency. Having a plan can eliminate a lot of guesswork as you get older, too. You may be surprised to learn that your estate plan can impact your eligibility for Medicaid for long-term care. Likewise, a well-crafted estate plan can help children who are caring for their elderly parents. Olds, Russ, Marquette & Peace also help clients with Real Estate matters, Will Contest and Probate Issues, and Small Business Issues. And, unlike many downtown firms, the lawyers at Olds ,Russ, Marquette & Peace make house calls. The lawyers provide their services in hospitals and nursing facilities, and also in a client’s home if he/she is too sick or frail to venture out. For more information on Olds, Russ, Marquette & Peace, including an overview of all the services provided, go to the firm’s website at oldsrusslaw.com, or call directly at 412.492.8975. The office is located at 1007 Mount Royal Boulevard, Pittsburgh, 15223, in the heart of the North Hills. SHALER ❘ winter 2018 33