Protect What Matters Most
Estate planning is about more than preparing legal documents. It is about protecting your family, preserving your legacy, and ensuring that your wishes are honored when the time comes.
Whether you are creating your first will, establishing a trust, planning for incapacity, or administering a loved one's estate, JT Skinner P.S.C. provides practical guidance tailored to your family's unique needs and goals.
A well-designed estate plan can provide peace of mind today while protecting those you care about tomorrow.
Planning Today. Protecting Tomorrow.
Estate Planning
A Plan for Every Stage of Life
Many people assume estate planning is only for the wealthy. In reality, every adult can benefit from having a comprehensive estate plan.
A properly prepared estate plan can:
✓ Ensure your assets pass according to your wishes
✓ Minimize family disputes and uncertainty
✓ Protect minor children through guardian designations
✓ Avoid unnecessary probate complications
✓ Provide for loved ones with special needs
✓ Prepare for incapacity and medical emergencies
✓ Preserve family businesses, farms, and real estate
✓ Provide peace of mind for you and your family
No matter the size of your estate, having a plan in place allows you—not the courts—to make important decisions about your future.
Last Will and Testament
Make Your Wishes Known
A will serves as the foundation of many estate plans. Through a properly drafted will, you can:
Determine who receives your property
Name guardians for minor children
Select the person responsible for administering your estate
Provide instructions regarding specific assets
Help reduce confusion and family conflict
Without a valid will, Kentucky law determines how your property is distributed, regardless of your personal wishes.
Trust Planning
Protect Assets and Simplify Administration
Trusts can be valuable tools for protecting assets, preserving privacy, and providing long-term management of property.
Depending upon your goals, a trust may help:
Avoid probate
Protect beneficiaries
Manage assets for minor children
Preserve family farms and businesses
Provide for loved ones with special needs
Maintain privacy regarding estate matters
Create structured distributions over time
We work with clients to determine whether a trust-based estate plan is appropriate and cost-effective for their circumstances.
Powers of Attorney & Advance Directives
Planning for Incapacity
Estate planning is not only about what happens after death. It also prepares for unexpected illness, injury, or incapacity.
Essential planning documents may include:
Durable Power of Attorney
Allows a trusted individual to manage financial and legal matters on your behalf if you become unable to do so.
Healthcare Surrogate Designation
Authorizes a trusted person to make medical decisions when you cannot communicate your wishes.
Living Will / Advance Directive
Provides instructions regarding medical treatment and end-of-life care.
These documents can help families avoid unnecessary court proceedings during difficult times.
Probate Administration
Guidance Through a Difficult Time
The loss of a loved one is challenging enough without the added burden of navigating the probate process alone.
We assist personal representatives, executors, administrators, heirs, and beneficiaries with:
Probate filings
Estate administration
Asset transfers
Creditor claims
Real estate issues
Beneficiary distributions
Final accountings
Court proceedings
Our goal is to make the probate process as efficient and straightforward as possible while ensuring compliance with Kentucky law.
Farm & Family Business Succession Planning
Preserving Generations of Hard Work
For many Kentucky families, the most valuable assets are not investment accounts—they are farms, family businesses, and closely-held enterprises built over generations.
Succession planning can help:
Prevent disputes among heirs
Maintain business continuity
Protect agricultural operations
Coordinate ownership transitions
Preserve family wealth
Reduce administrative complications