L. Phillips Runyon III
Principal Attorney
Estate Planning
We help clients in Peterborough and the Monadnock Region put wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance directives in place with an eye toward both lifetime planning and what comes later.
Work closely with our attorneys to develop an estate plan that serves both you and your loved ones through all stages of life. A comprehensive plan addresses not only the transfer of assets at death, but also support and security during your lifetime.
Depending on your circumstances, that planning may include wills, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, durable powers of attorney, New Hampshire advance directives, and coordination with prenuptial or postnuptial agreements. For many people in Peterborough and the Monadnock Region, the starting point is a simple question: what documents do we actually need right now?
When It Makes Sense to Make or Review an Estate Plan
Estate planning is not just for one stage of life. It often makes sense to put a plan in place or review an older one when:
- you have married, divorced, or remarried
- you have had children or grandchildren
- you have bought or sold real estate
- you want to review beneficiary designations or avoid unnecessary probate
- you have been named in someone else's plan and want your own affairs in order
- you have concerns about incapacity, long-term care planning, or who would step in to help if needed
Sometimes the work is mostly foundational. Sometimes it involves coordinating business succession planning, family property, elder law concerns, or planning documents that need to fit sensibly with a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.
Putting the Pieces Together
Good estate planning is not just a matter of signing documents one by one. The value is in making sure the pieces work together. That means reviewing how assets are titled, checking beneficiary designations, confirming that the people you have named are still the right choices, and deciding whether a will alone is enough or whether a trust-based plan makes better sense.
A clear, current plan can make later probate and trust administration more manageable for the people you leave behind. Where there is a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, part of the job is making sure the estate plan is reviewed in light of that agreement rather than as a separate set of documents.
Preparing for an estate planning conversation? Our Estate Planning Readiness Checklist can help you gather basic information before contacting the office.
Looking for a plain-English explanation of common estate planning and probate terms? Our legal terms index links key concepts to related Food for Thought posts.
Key Estate Planning Documents
New Hampshire Advance Directive
The New Hampshire Advance Directive combines a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare with a Living Will. It allows you to name a health care agent and state your wishes regarding end of life care and other medical decisions if you are not able to speak for yourself.
Irrevocable Trusts
In the right situation, an Irrevocable Trust can be a useful estate planning tool for asset protection, Medicaid planning, long-term care planning, tax planning, or other family planning goals. Because an irrevocable trust is generally not meant to be changed at will after it is created, it should be chosen carefully and only when it fits the broader estate planning strategy.
Revocable Trusts
A Revocable Living Trust is a flexible planning document that can help direct the transfer of your assets outside of probate. It also allows you to appoint a successor Trustee and to structure distributions in a way that takes account of the particular needs and circumstances of your beneficiaries.
General Powers of Attorney
A general power of attorney gives an agent authority to handle financial and property matters on your behalf. In estate planning, this is often drafted as a durable general power of attorney so that the authority continues to be available if incapacity becomes an issue.
Wills
A Will directs how your assets are to be distributed at death and names the Executor who will carry out those instructions through the probate process. It is also the document where many parents indicate their preference as to the guardian of minor children.
Planning documents should reflect New Hampshire forms, New Hampshire practice, and the practical realities of who would actually be available to act for you. From Peterborough, our office regularly assists estate planning clients from Hancock, Jaffrey, Rindge, Wilton, Dublin, Marlborough, Harrisville, Keene, Milford, Greenfield, Greenville, and other nearby Monadnock Region communities.
Work with the attorneys who handle this area
Related services
Probate and Trust Administration
We help executors, trustees, and families work through probate and trust administration in a practical, orderly way.
Elder Law
Practical elder law guidance for incapacity planning, long-term care concerns, Medicaid-related issues, and guardianship questions in New Hampshire.
Guardianships
We help families think through whether guardianship is necessary and, when it is, how to proceed carefully in the Probate Court.
Business Law
Guidance on business formation, LLC and corporate structure, day-to-day business representation, and succession planning for closely held companies.
Related guidance from Food for Thought
April 24, 2019
It's Never Too Early to Plan Ahead by Phil Runyon
It's Never Too Early to Plan Ahead It occurred to me that most of what I say in these pieces is directed toward my contemporaries rather than our children and g...
January 7, 2014
Joint Tenants Take Note by Phil Runyon
Joint Tenants Take Note As the heading suggests, I'm out to toss a little cold water on the common technique many of us employ to pass our worldly stuff on to o...
January 25, 2016
Another Planning Resolution by Phil Runyon
Another Planning Resolution In addition to resolving to being nicer people this year, let's also resolve to keep our planning documents in good order - and let'...
Common questions
Helpful answers in plain English
Do I need a will, a trust, or both?
It depends on your assets, your family situation, your goals for privacy or probate avoidance, and whether you need more structure than a will alone can provide. In most instances, a person with a trust will still have a will as part of the plan.
When should I update an estate plan?
It is wise to review planning documents after major life changes such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths, substantial asset changes, a move between states, or a change in the people you would want acting for you.
Why are powers of attorney and advance directives so important?
They let you choose who can act for you if you cannot handle financial or health-care decisions yourself. Without them, families may face avoidable delay, uncertainty, or court involvement.
Peterborough office
Ready to put or update a plan in place?
If you are ready to talk through wills, trusts, powers of attorney, or advance directives, the Peterborough office can help you sort through the documents and the practical choices involved.