Bales Financial Group

Unlock Your Financial
& Retirement Potential

Protecting, Preserving & Passing Along Your Estate

Your estate is important to overall financial well-being. We work to make certain you have a plan that allows you to protect your assets, save taxes, and pass along more wealth to heirs or a favorite charity or cause. 


Your specific legacy plan is based on your unique needs and objectives. However, there are some common elements that we usually discuss with clients during the legacy planning process. Those include:

Income & Financial Needs

Do you have a spouse, children, or other loved ones who depend on your income for financial support? If you passed away, how would they survive without your income? What would happen to their standard of living?


We work with you to analyze your family’s income needs and develop a protection strategy. This often includes life insurance, but there are a variety of strategies we can use to protect your family’s way of life in the event that you pass away.

Income & Financial Needs

Probate is the legal process of resolving one’s estate and distributing their assets. It may sound simple, but it can be time consuming and costly. During probate, the court and your executor have to complete a variety of tasks, including:


  • Notifying heirs
  • Liquidating assets
  • Filing a final tax return
  • Payment of debts
  • Distribution of assets


Depending on the complexity of your estate, the probate process can take months and can generate a significant amount of fees. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the impact of probate on your estate. We help you develop and implement strategies to minimize the amount of assets that go through probate. We reduce probate fees and help your estate distribute assets quickly, so your loved ones don’t have to wait months to receive their share of your legacy.

Asset Distribution

A will is one of the most common and effective ways to distribute assets to your loved ones after you pass away. In a will, you name your heirs and specify which heirs receive which assets. 


However, a will isn’t the only way to distribute assets. In fact, depending on your needs, you may need more than a will. For example, a trust can be an effective way to minimize probate and help you achieve other goals. 


A trust can be used to obtain more control over asset distribution. Maybe you want the assets managed on behalf of your heirs. Or perhaps you want to delay the distribution of assets until the heir reaches a certain age. You can achieve that with a trust.


There are many different types of trusts. We refer you to an attorney that will help you navigate the process to implement the right asset distribution strategy for you.

Special Considerations

Very often, there are unique considerations that play a major role in a legacy plan. A common one is a second or third marriage in which there are children from multiple marriages. You may want to provide for your spouse, but also make sure there are assets from your children from your previous marriage. This can be accomplished but may require advanced planning.


Business ownership can also add complexity to an estate. Who will take over the business after you pass away? How can you make sure the business is managed effectively? How do you compensate your family for your share of the ownership? Business succession can be a complex process that can require years of planning. If you own a business, it is never too early to start planning your succession.

Helping You Achieve Financial Peace of Mind

For more than a decade Bales Financial Group has been helping clients manage their finances to meet the needs of today and the future. After getting to know you and your goals, we can assess your assets and put a strategy in place using a variety of services and products to enhance your overall financial and retirement situation.

Share by: