Our Services

Susan R. Harris & Associates, LLC is built on a strong foundation of over 35 years of experience.

We have particular strength in Fiduciary Advising and Troubleshooting , and Estate and Trust Administration.

In the spirit of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, we list our services in reverse order, from end-of-life issues backwards to beginning-of-life issues.

  • Fiduciary Advising and Troubleshooting
    • We provide guidance for personal representatives, trustees, conservators, custodians of minors’ funds, and other fiduciaries and help them avoid the pitfalls of the fiduciary office.
    • We advise clients harmed by fiduciary malfeasance, inappropriate use of fiduciary property, neglect, and breach of fiduciary duty
    • If needed, we advise on solutions for defective estate planning and ambiguous or poorly drafted wills and trusts, so that the true intent is effectively and efficiently carried out.
  • Estate and Trust Administration
    • Susan R. Harris & Associates, LLC specializes in carrying out the intent expressed in wills, trusts, and other directions of deceased clients.
    • We advise and act as counsel for widowed spouses, children, caretakers, successors and other loved ones of deceased persons.
    • Our staff are skilled in property transfers, sales, and funding of trusts under wills and trust agreements
    • If needed, we will prepare Federal estate tax returns, and will coordinate with certified public accountants and other tax preparers in the preparation of estate and trust tax returns, final decedent’s tax returns, and fulfillment of tax obligations associated with settling estates and trusts.
    • We assist with will contests, will and trust construction proceedings, and other probate court procedures
    • We help clients avoid court proceedings whenever possible, through mediation, counseling, post death planning including disclaimers, and negotiations
  • Disability and End of Life Planning
    • Powers of attorney and medical directives to enable family members or trusted friends to assist with financial transactions and medical decisionmaking, in the event of disability
    • Prevention of expensive and public conservatorship and guardianship proceedings whenever possible
    • Body disposition instructions, to enable loved ones to carry out funeral and related instructions
  • Retirement and Life Insurance Planning, and Beneficiary Designations
    • Designing optimal retirement plan and IRA beneficiary designations, so that employee benefits pass to intended beneficiaries, and are coordinated with the overall estate plan
    • Life insurance and annuity beneficiary designations designed to save taxes and protect policy proceeds
    • Advice on avoiding expensive multi-state or multi-national probate proceedings
    • Liquidity planning, including life insurance trusts, to prevent financial distress due to the death of a business owner or breadwinner
  • Wealth Transfer Planning, for Tax Savings and Ease of Transition to Heirs and Beneficiaries
    • Tax and non-tax centered planning, including charitable and business exit planning
    • Simple wills when tax planning is not needed and there is no need for complex trusts or structured transfers
    • Complex wills and trusts designed to achieve tax savings and preserve assets
    • Asset titling for maximum efficiency and ease of ultimate transfer, when feasible
    • Lifetime transfers and gift planning
    • Transfers effective at death, and utilization of a variety of means to pass property at the least cost and delay to the intended beneficiaries
    • Creation of small business entities and limited liability companies to manage and transfer family assets such as vacation homes and classic automobiles
  • Marriage and Cohabitation
    • Marital agreements (prenuptial and postnuptial agreements)
    • Cohabitation agreements
    • Protection of spouses and family members in the events of death and disability of either spouse
    • Counseling couples with blended families and nontraditional families
  • Birth and Upbringing of Children
    • Protection for children if parents die or become disabled
    • Establishment of trusts and other economic arrangements for a child’s future, whether or not the child has special needs
    • Education planning, pre and post secondary, through trusts, 529 accounts, custodial accounts, and other means
    • Protection of family businesses and assets from a child’s creditors, marital, medical, drug or legal difficulties