First Comes Financial Planning Then Comes Asset Protection

There is an order to planning for your financial future.

In life and love there is an order to events. First comes love, then comes marriage. Likewise in financial planning, first comes a solid financial plan, then comes a well thought out asset protection plan.

You can’t do it backwards. You first must have assets to protect. By definition, asset protection means keeping your property safe from being taken by someone who wins a lawsuit against you.

You also cannot begin an asset protection plan if you are in the midst of a lawsuit. That can be constituted as fraud and is a serious crime.

No one wants to be sued. Most people think that it can’t or won’t happen to them. But if you are in an accident caused by you and someone is injured or killed, chances are you will be sued.

Once you have accumulated assets, you then hire an asset protection attorney to help you determine which assets are exempt and which are non-exempt and how to properly protect all of your assets.

Not A Substitute For Insurance

Asset protection planning should not be a substitute for personal liability and professional insurance, but rather should be in addition to insurance. Insurance supplements asset protection planning. If you get sued, let the insurance company pay to defend it and pay to settle it — that’s what you’re paying the premiums for.

Asset Protection Doesn’t Prevent Suits From Being Filed

Some people think that having an asset protection plan works to frighten anyone initiating a lawsuit. That certainly is not the case. And even if you do have asset protection, that plan does not make you immune to legal fees required to defend yourself against a lawsuit.

Personal Assets And Business Assets

The most common method for protecting personal assets is through the use of trusts. Sometimes, people are advised to put their personal assets into a business entity. This is ill advised and if the court discovers this, it could be detrimental to your case. As I just mentioned, the place to put personal assets is in a trust. There are many different kinds of trusts and a solid body of law that protects trust assets only when the trust is properly drafted and funded.

A Balance of Asset Control

Asset protection planning attempts to reach a balance between giving you sufficient control so that your assets don’t disappear, while simultaneously not giving you so much control a creditor can successfully argue against you in a court of law. Making use of legal tools to protect your assets is generally not something that you should try to handle on your own because of the potential for mistakes and problems. Instead, you need to get the right legal advice from a qualified estate and asset protection planning professional.

Looking to find an experienced estate lawyer in the Georgia area who is skilled in asset protection and estate plan preparation? Shannon Pawley is an attorney in Georgia with expertise in estate planning and asset protection. Shannon can provide assistance with creating an estate plan to include making a will and how to establish a trust properly. If you have questions about asset protection or questions about making an estate plan, reach out to Shannon and she will be glad to help answer all the estate planning questions you might have!

Connect With Us

Strategy Session

Stacy McKenzie

21:58 07 Feb 24

Shannon and her team were great. Went in for a consultation and got my money worth. She explained and made sure we understood. I will be using them in the future.

Diane J

23:10 24 Jan 24

Waheed Hamid

18:55 17 Dec 23

We had excellent service from Shannon and her team, they are true professionals and helped us and explained every step in the process. We highly recommend The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm.

Virgil Price Young

20:16 18 Jul 23

Stephanie Deal

15:22 07 Jul 23

My father and I recently used the estate, an asset protection, law, firm for new wheels, new, power of attorney’s, and a creation of a trust. Brooke and her entire team could not have been more helpful and more professional! We loved working with them, and they took everything seriously therefore I didn’t have to worry about a thing. I highly recommend everyone at the law firm.

Barry Amos

01:22 01 Jul 23

Great firm. Had answers to all our questions and explained everything clearly. Never felt rushed to make a decision Could not ask for a better experience. Every one we dealt with was professional and knowledgeable. We highly recommend this firm for estate planning.

Lee Jay

21:30 28 Jun 23

Shannon provided invaluable information regarding a family estate matter. Although her firm did not quite fit our immediate needs, the consultation was informative and extremely HELPFUL! Shannon clearly explained what our next steps should be and offered to assist if we had any questions along the way. Her expertise and willingness to help puts her in a league of her own!

Alice Guppy

02:01 23 Jan 23

Shannon and everyone at The Estate and Asset Protection Law Firm are professional, very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. They answered all our questions in great detail and the plan they developed for us is exactly what we need to protect our assets and estate as we age especially with my husband's health issues.

Lynn McKibbin-Moore

23:09 24 Feb 22

My husband has dementia. This firm has been patient, kind and professional while we went through a move from a house of 37 years in to a condo to be closer to my daughter and her husband. (Miami to Atlanta). There was also a wedding. All in 6 months.We now have a trust, power of attorney. Wills for my daughter and her husband and more. All at a fair price. I could not recommend higher.

Tammy Lee

22:03 29 Jan 22

Shannon Pawley and her team are exceptional at helping families navigate tough situations. We began working with her upon finding out my father had Stage 4 kidney cancer. His decline was more rapid than expected.Attorney Pawley and her entire team expedited paperwork that allowed me to focus on my father’s care, make decisions that suddenly needed to be made for him medically and financially, and has allowed me the ability to focus more on grieving and less on legal matters upon his passing.It is obvious she is knowledgeable about the best ways to navigate estates to protect the assets for the owners and their loved ones. It is just as obvious that she is passionate and has true heart for what her clients go through.We will be using her for own estate needs, and I recommend her expertise to everybody I can.This service is worth every penny we paid as it has saved us more money and time than I could imagine.

H Jessie Brewer

18:26 18 Nov 21

Attorney Shannon Pawley and paralegal Alexis McCoy are legal professionals that my wife and I highly recommend. Their grasp of the Georgia law pertaining to Medicaid assistance and the interworking's of the State department is exceptional. Additionally, their client-attorney relationship skills are excellent. We wouldn't hesitate to use this law firm again should the need arise.

Dawn Hardy

15:06 13 Nov 21

Shannon and her team are the best! They listened to my needs and provided the best advice. They are patient and professional as well as personable, they didn't make me feel like I was just another client. Highly recommend!