Pet Planning

What Will Happen to Your Pet When You’re No Longer Around?

When it comes to protecting your pet, no one does it better than you do.

You love them…
You feed them…
You make sure they have everything they need to live a happy, healthy life.

But what would happen if you were no longer around? Who would care for your pet? Would your friends and family know what foods to feed or what medications to give?

How can you ensure that your pet continues to receive the love and care they need?

What a Pet Trust Can Do for You and Your Pet

A Pet Trust is a powerful legal document that gives you the ability to not only set aside funds for your pet’s future care but also stipulate exactly what kind of care you expect your pet to receive.

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• Complete control over every aspect of your pet’s future care
• Stipulate their foods, their schedules, even their veterinarian
• Revocable, so you can change and amend your trust at any time
• Designate a separate trustee to oversee the funds and create a “checks and balances” system within your trust
• Can be activated if you become disabled or incapacitated (a Will can’t do that)

And because a Pet Trust is fully enforceable by the courts, you can rest easy knowing that your pet’s well-being will always be safe.

Is My Pet Really at Risk?

According to animal welfare organization “2nd Chance 4 Pets,” over 500,000 pets are abandoned each year due to the death or disability of their human companions. That’s 500,000 too many. What’s worse is that those pets could have been protected with just a little planning. Think about it: what will happen to your pet if you become disabled? What if you’re no longer able to speak for yourself? How will the courts know what to do with your pet? And how can you make sure that your beloved animal doesn’t end up in a shelter somewhere or worse, alone on the streets? Because sadly, that happens all the time.

With a Pet Trust, you can prevent your pet from becoming another statistic. Give us a call today – together, we can make sure your pet has a happy, healthy life.

Interested in Attending a Pet Trust Seminar?

Our firm hosts “Your Pet, Your Trust, and Your Legacy” seminars in conjunction with local humane societies to educate our community on the importance of proactive planning for your pet, as well as planned giving strategies that will enable you to leave a lasting legacy.

Past Pet Trust Seminars

If you are interested in attending one of these seminars, please click here for information on our next “Your Trust, Your Pet, and Your Legacy” seminar.

Checklist: Estate planning that includes your pets

Including pets in an estate plan can be a relatively straightforward process. Consider taking the 4 following steps in consultation with an attorney and financial advisor:

1. Select the pets’ guardian. Be sure that the person chosen has given their clear consent.
2. Write detailed instructions for the pets’ care. This information may be especially useful immediately following the death of the owner.
3. Formalize plans in a pet trust or pet protection agreement. These legally binding agreements can provide for the care of your pets when the owner is incapable of caring for them.
4. Select a remainder beneficiary. This person or organization will receive any funds left in the trust after the pets die.

Pet Trust Promo Video