Estate Planning
by Amy Sharp
Margaret McCullough Connolly, Sugar Land Attorney and Counselor at Law
Robert Meyer and Ginger Chachere met Fort Bend attorney Margie Connolly through their BNI group. “We are Executive Consultants with Ambit Energy,” says Robert. “We sell electricity to homes and businesses. Through the BNI (Business Network International), we got to know Margie and some of her clients. The more we heard her clients talk, the more we realized we needed to do an estate plan. Ginger had done a will in the past, but that was about it. We felt we really needed to get a good plan in place.”
Ginger and Robert met Margie at her office. “We explained our wishes,” says Ginger, “and Margie gave us different options. She’s very personable and really listens. She explored our wishes by asking questions and really making sure we covered all our bases. She explained in great detail the pros and cons of what we were considering. Then she took those details and our decisions and drafted our documents, including our trust, our wills, medical directives and power of attorney.”
“When we received the drafts, we made a few tweaks and put in the final details— names, beneficiaries, etc.,” continues Robert. “Then we reconvened at Margie’s office, where she presented our finished documents in a binder. We reviewed them in detail and got the required signatures in place. It was a painless process.”
“My job is to take the worry out of growing old,” says Margie. “Estate planning doesn’t begin and end with a last will and testament. It can include living trusts, developing a plan to mitigate or avoid estate taxes, and working to ensure that your life’s savings and assets are safe from your beneficiaries’ creditors after your death. Medical directives and powers of attorney are also part of your estate plan. It’s not the most pleasant topic to talk about. But it’s necessary for the benefit of you and your loved ones.”
“I highly recommend Margie for this service,” adds Robert. “She’s knowledgeable and informative, and she gets the job done.”