Master Estate Planning Services Catalog

A clear delineation and overview of nearly every service we offer for your NJ Estate Planning needs.
Simon Law Group LLC is one of

New Jersey's Leading Trusts & Estates Law Firms

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Core Foundations (The Basics)

Will-based Plans

Will (or pour‑over), Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA), Health Care Proxy/Advance Directive (AD), HIPAA Authorization, Disposition of Remains.

Revocable Living Trusts (RLT) 

RLT, pour‑over Will, DPOA, AD/HIPAA, trust funding plan, funding coordination (accounts/beneficiaries/deeds), successor fiduciary lineup.

Children's Safety Plans (CSP)

Temporary/standby guardians, caregiver cards, school/daycare releases, first‑48‑hours letters, caregiver instruction packet.

Document Refresh/Updating

Amendments, restatements, conversions (Will‑only → Trust‑based), relocation to NJ re‑papering.

Plan Audit and Second Opinion

Gap analysis for unfunded trusts, beneficiary conflicts, SECURE Act issues, bond requirements, tax alignment.

Marital, Blended-Family and Relationship Planning

Credit Shelter Trusts (CST)

Credit Shelter/Bypass Trusts (CST); A/B or A‑B‑C frameworks.

QTIP Trusts

QTIP/Clayton elections; Disclaimer Trust architectures.

Portability Planning

706 prep, DSUE capture; post‑mortem optimization.

Prenup/Postnup Coordination

Elective‑share analysis (NJ), spousal waiver planning.

Second Marriages/Blended Families

Lifetime income trusts, protection for children of a prior relationship.

Unmarried Partners & DINK Households

Titling/beneficiaries, incapacity authority, charitable legacies.

LGBTQIA+ Planning

Hospital/medical access, parentage/guardianship, legacy and titling alignment.

Trusts - Irrevocable and Specialized

Special Needs Trusts (SNT)

Third‑party, first‑party (d4A/d4C), pooled trusts; trustee training; benefits‑safe distributions. ABLE accounts, Spend-down, HEMS and Trustee standards. 

Medicaid Asset Protection Trusts (MAPT)

5‑year lookback mapping, home strategies, caregiver agreements, homestead/CSRA considerations (coordinate with elder law).

Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT)

Premium and compliance management, liquidity for estate tax, Crummey administration.

Stand-Alone Retirement Trust (SRT)

Conduit vs accumulation, Eligible Designated Beneficiary (EDB) analysis, 10‑year rule.

Spousal Lifetime Access Trust (SLAT)

Access mechanics, reciprocal trap avoidance, situs choices.

Intentionally Defective Grantor Trust (IDGT)

Sales to IDGT, note design, seed gift.

Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT)

Short‑term roll strategies, concentrated‑asset planning.

Gun Trusts

Responsible firearm ownership and New Jersey (NJ) compliance.

Pet Trusts

Used to ensure a pet and its offspring are adequately cared for throughout its lifetime and successive generations.

Qualified Domestic Trust (QDOT)

For non-citizen spouses.

 

Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT)

Home transfer mechanics, rent‑back planning.

Charitable Trusts (CRT/CLT)

Charitable Remainder Trusts, Donor‑Advised Funds (DAF) integration.

Dynasty Trusts and GST Strategies

Generation‑skipping allocations, long‑term discretionary trusts, and more.

Retirement & Tax Coordination

  • SECURE Act alignment; beneficiary stretch analysis; Roth conversion strategy coordination.

  • Traditional vs. Roth IRAs: tax profile mapping, beneficiary design (spouse, trusts, charities), and 10‑year rule planning.

  • Public & private pensions: survivor option elections, joint‑and‑survivor vs. single‑life tradeoffs, POP‑UP features, beneficiary and spousal consent requirements.

  • 401(k)/IRA beneficiary clean‑up; trust drafting guardrails for plan custodians.

  • Charitable IRA strategies: QCDs, testamentary CRT for tax smoothing.

  • Fiduciary income tax planning: distribution timing; 65‑day rule overview; RMD/SEPP awareness where relevant.

Business Owners & Asset Protection (non‑DAPT NJ)

  • Business succession: buy‑sell agreements (cross‑purchase/entity), key‑person, continuity instructions.

  • Entity coordination: LLC/FLP with trust ownership, voting/non‑voting splits.

  • Personal asset protection (practical): titling, umbrella insurance review, retirement plan maximization; note: NJ has no DAPT—use third‑party trusts and insurance/entity shields.

Real Estate & Titling (NJ)

  • Deeds (Bargain & Sale with Covenants common in NJ), co‑ownership (TBE/JTWROS/TIC) and trust funding.

  • Multi‑state and shore properties; coordinating out‑of‑state counsel/recording quirks.

  • Transfer on death alternatives (where available), cooperative/condo nuances.

  • 1031 exchange coordination (working with QIs/CPAs), exchange‑eligible property review, replacement‑property timing, basis tracking into trusts/LLCs.

  • Cottage/Vacation Home Trusts (a.k.a. “cottage trusts”): family usage calendars, expense sharing, reserve funds, succession and sale triggers, and dispute‑resolution clauses to keep the lake/shore house peaceful.

Cross‑Border / Non‑Citizen

  • QDOT design and funding; treaty awareness.

  • Domicile vs residency vs tax‑residency counseling.

  • FATCA/FBAR coordination with tax advisors; foreign property and accounts.

Probate & Post‑Death Administration

  • Probate (estate administration): executor coaching, creditor claims, accounting, bond guidance/waivers.

  • Trust administration: notices, trustee powers training, distribution standards (HEMS vs discretionary), tax filings (1041/709 coordination with CPA).

  • Post‑mortem options: disclaimers, portability/706, 645 election, §6166 business deferral overview, basis step‑up planning.

  • Fiduciary dispute management; mediation strategy; no‑contest coordination.

Health, Incapacity & Lifetime Support

  • DPOA (financial), Health Care Proxy/AD, HIPAA Authorization; POLST coordination where applicable.

  • College‑age “emergency set” (HIPAA + HC Proxy).

  • Supported decision‑making, conservatorship/guardianship petitions (as needed).

Digital & Emerging Assets (Web3)

  • Private Key/Seed phrase security plans; Password manager & vault integration; digital executor language.

  • Crypto/keys planning (custodial vs self‑custody, cold‑storage instructions, exchange letters).

  • Domain names, social media memorialization.

Funding, Maintenance & Education

  • Funding services: beneficiary/title changes, deed recordings, funding tracker, confirmations.

  • AMP (Annual Maintenance Program): yearly tune‑ups, beneficiary checks, design updates.

  • CCP (Continuing Counsel Plan): quarterly reviews, advisor summits (CPA, CFP®/RIA, insurance/trust officer), ILIT Crummey admin.

  • Trustee training & family meetings; Letters of Wishes; values‑based governance.

  • Lasting Message Session: video/audio interview + transcript with timed release.

NJ‑Specific Compliance & Risk Controls

  • Bond requirements & waiver drafting; notary/witnessing compliance; self‑proving wills.

  • NJ inheritance tax awareness for non‑Class A beneficiaries; planning around impact.

  • County recording lead times; guardian/standby documents for minors.

Add‑On Planning & Financial Tools

  • ABLE accounts, 529 plans, HSAs/FSAs integration; True Link Card for beneficiaries.

  • 529 strategies: owner vs. successor owner, beneficiary changes, and 5‑year superfunding election (Form 709 reporting).

  • Large lifetime gifts: annual exclusion planning, gift‑splitting, Form 709 compliance, basis tracking/carryover, and coordination with GRAT/IDGT/SLAT strategies.

  • Roth vs. Traditional IRA contributions/conversions coordination with estate design; backdoor/mega‑backdoor Roth (CPA‑coordinated, where appropriate).

  • Life/disability/LTC insurance review and coordination.

  • Charitable mission statements; DAF setup; private‑foundation coordination (if applicable).

Art, Collectibles & Tangible Personal Property

  • Appraisal and provenance tracking; fractional/family ownership structures; display/loan agreements.

  • Specific bequests vs. sale directives; museum/charity gifts; insurance and storage considerations.

  • Trustee/executor playbooks for valuation, shipment, export rules, and dispute prevention among heirs.

Service Areas (New Jersey)

We regularly serve clients throughout Central and North New Jersey, including the Jersey Shore, Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Mercer, Warren, Bergen, and Monmouth counties.


Selected communities we often work with: Basking Ridge, Bernardsville, Bedminster, Bridgewater, Somerville, Morristown, Madison, Chatham, Peapack-Gladstone, Mendham, Chester, Flemington, Tewksbury, Readington, Whitehouse Station, Clinton, Lambertville, Princeton, Pennington, Hopewell, Raritan Township, Allentown (Mercer area), Hackettstown, Long Valley, Warren Township, Watchung, Ridgewood, Franklin Lakes, Tenafly, Rumson, Fair Haven, Little Silver, Colts Neck, Holmdel, Spring Lake, Sea Girt, Manasquan, Point Pleasant.

Don’t see your town? If you live in or own property in New Jersey, we can help—onsite or by secure Zoom!

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Related Legal Services

Services we offer in connection with Estate Planning

Real estate transactions (purchase/sale, deed work, LLC transfers), business & succession planning (buy‑sell agreements, family LLC/FLP), civil litigation (probate disputes, fiduciary claims), and elder law/long‑term care planning.

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