Estate Planning in Mobile, Alabama
Preserve and transfer what you've built, with your wishes, your family, and your legacy in clear focus.
By James Mitchell Ollis III, Financial Advisor | CRD# 1127198
Estate planning is not just about what happens after you are gone. It is about protecting, managing, and transferring wealth in a way that reflects your values and aligns with your goals, during your lifetime and beyond.
A Coordinated Plan, Not a Stack of Documents
A well-designed estate plan should ensure your wealth and affairs are administered as seamlessly and efficiently as possible, distributions are aligned with your wishes, and taxes are minimized. Many firms offer estate planning services, but relatively few integrate it into your total financial picture. We do.
Our role is to work alongside your attorney and CPA to connect the dots. We are not a law firm and we do not draft documents. But we sit at the center of your financial life, which means we can see how your estate plan interacts with your investments, your retirement accounts, your insurance, and your tax situation.
The Questions We Help You Answer
- How should your assets be titled? The difference between a will, a revocable trust, and joint ownership can determine whether your estate goes through probate, and how much it costs.
- Are your beneficiary designations aligned? Retirement accounts and life insurance pass outside your will. If the designations are outdated or inconsistent with your broader plan, the plan fails.
- Is your trust strategy appropriate? For families with substantial wealth, trust strategies such as legacy trusts, GRATs, and irrevocable life insurance trusts can play a meaningful role in transferring wealth tax-efficiently.
- How do you want to give? Charitable giving, gifting during your lifetime, and multi-generational planning conversations are all part of the picture.
“The legal documents, the financial accounts, and the family conversations all need to point in the same direction. That's the coordination work we do.”
What You Receive
- Estate plan review and gap analysis against your current goals
- Coordination with your attorney and CPA to keep the process moving
- Beneficiary and titling review across every account
- Trust strategy evaluation where appropriate for your situation
- Charitable giving and gifting strategies integrated into your overall plan
Estate Planning Questions We Hear in Mobile
What should my estate plan include?
Most families need a will or revocable living trust, durable financial power of attorney, health care directive, and up-to-date beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and insurance.
Do you draft wills and trusts?
No. We are not attorneys. We work alongside your estate attorney so the documents they draft match how your accounts are titled and invested.
Does Alabama have an estate or inheritance tax?
Alabama currently has neither. Larger estates may still be subject to the federal estate tax, and property in other states can bring other rules into play.
How often should I review my estate plan?
Review it every few years and after any major life event, such as a marriage, divorce, birth, death, move, or sale of a business.
Why do beneficiary designations matter so much?
Beneficiary forms on IRAs, 401(k)s, and life insurance override your will. An outdated form can send assets to the wrong person.
Advisory services are offered through Ollis Wealth Management LLC. James Mitchell Ollis III is also affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc. This page is for informational purposes and is not tax or legal advice. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Full disclosures.
Have you reviewed your estate plan lately?
Most plans drift out of date. A short review can catch problems early.
Schedule a ConversationOr call (888) 803 3246