Peace of Mind Starts Here
Estate Planning for Every Phase of Life
Stoneham, MA: (781) 202-6368
Manchester, NH: (603) 836-4166
Don’t wait until the last minute to plan for your family’s future.
Protect what matters most to you with expert advice from the people you can trust.
Introduce your brand
Do you need an estate plan, but can never find the time or energy to get it done?
With Perennial Estate Planning, it has never been easier to get your documents in order.
Since estate planning is all that we do, we’ve streamlined the process so you can get your estate planning done in a simple and convenient manner.
No unnecessary paperwork or preparation is required. Just show up with your questions or concerns and we’ll handle the rest.
Yes, we make it that easy for you.
Your estate plan will then be done and you will have complete peace of mind in knowing that everything is taken care of.
Doesn’t that sound nice?
Call 781 202 6368 (MA) or 603 836 4166 (NH) or click here to schedule your free personal consultation.
What is Estate Planning?
Estate Planning is about protecting your family's future. A comprehensive estate plan will provide you with 5 key benefits:
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An estate plan puts your intentions in writing to ensure that your wishes are followed. By having your intentions in legally binding documents, you can rest easy knowing that your family has clear and proper legal instruction for a variety of scenarios that may arise in the future.
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Probate is a public court process that no family should ever have to go through. With the right estate planning, your family can avoid months (sometimes years) of unnecessary delays and legal fees while maintaining your privacy.
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Massachusetts has an estate tax on estates over $2 million (this includes life insurance, retirement accounts, and equity in your home). However, with proper planning you can minimize or potentially eliminate the Massachusetts estate tax. For example, married couples can effectively double their exemption by setting up separate trusts. New Hampshire doesn’t have an estate tax at the state level, but if you live in New Hampshire and have property located in Massachusetts, then you may still be subject to an estate tax on the proportionate value of property held in Massachusetts.
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A good estate plan will make sure the money and property you leave to your children isn’t wasted by frivolous spending, poor management, or attachment by creditors (e.g., divorce, bankruptcy, litigation). For young families, you’ll also want to make sure the right guardian, conservator, and trustee provisions are in place to ensure your minor children are well-taken care of.
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Successful estate plans often go unrecognized because they do what they are supposed to do: make things easy. Meanwhile bad estate plans get all the headlines and often lead to family members arguing over real estate and other family assets. There’s no reason to let a family fall apart over money. A well-drafted estate plan makes sure everyone knows exactly what they are getting and leaves no room for confusion.
So what does an estate plan consist of?
There are four key documents to a common estate plan in Massachusetts and New Hampshire:
Family Trust (Revocable Living Trust)
Pour-Over Will
Durable Power of Attorney
Health Care Proxy/Advance Directive
With these estate planning documents in place, you can rest easy knowing that everything will be taken care of if something were to happen to you. You can help your family avoid unnecessary delays, taxes, legal fees and expenses; and you can make sure the right things go to the right people at the right time.
Meet Attorney Joseph Lento
Hi, I’m Joe! Whether you are concerned about avoiding probate, minimizing estate taxes, or simply making sure the right things go to the right people at the right time, we’d be more than happy to walk you through your options to help you make well-informed decisions for you and your family.
In working with you, it’s our objective to make the estate planning process as straightforward and easy as possible so you can get on with your life knowing that everything is taken care of.
No paperwork is required to get started. Just give us a call at 781 202 6368 (MA) or 603 836 4166 (NH) and we’ll take it from there.
Thank you, and we look forward to working with you!
Meet the Team
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Elisa Lento
Executive Assistant Paralegal
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Alexis Mugica
Paralegal
What Our Clients Are Saying
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“It was a pleasure to have met attorney Lento to do our estate planning. Joseph is a good person , great lawyer very friendly, knowledgeable and easy to talk to. When my husband and I decided to do a trust We had a lot of questions and Joe took his time to explain In simple terms and in great detail how it all works. Very pleased with his service. We will highly recommend him to family and friends.”
- Joanne (Wilmington, MA)
“Attorney Lento was outstanding. We had to re-work our wills, Living Wills, Health Care Proxy's and put our properties in the correct Trusts. Joseph was excellent. He explained all the legal steps, in layman's terms, and ensured we were kept apprised of the entire process. Joe was always open to our questions and/or potential concerns. He did fantastic work! Please accept our highest recommendation!”
- Paul (Melrose, MA)
“Attorney Lento was very knowledgeable on the estate process and guided me through this confusing process with compassion and lots of patience. He responded quickly to my many questions and explained everything so I could understand the various trusts and decide what was best for me. Thank you Attorney Lento.”
- Gail (Stoneham, MA)
“Joe spoke to us about our goals and made sure we had all the right documents and coverage. He also helped us do it all from our house, have already recommended them to three of our neighbors.”
- Shane (Pembroke, MA)
“Joe is very knowledgeable and professional. He answered our questions with great detail and was very thorough. He made sure our concerns were addressed. Additionally, our estate documents were completed in a very timely manner. I would highly recommend him to friends and family.”
- Lisa (Wakefield, MA)
“I was introduced by a family member to Joe in 2019- Upon meeting him, he was very friendly and knowledgeable. I felt very comfortable to discuss estate planning which can be very personal. Joe covered all areas in a timely fashion and completed the documents promptly- Since completing the task, I have outreached to Joe recently via email for questions regarding the sale of my home, which he was always available to answer all my questions and would direct me to others if the subject was not in his scope of practice- I would highly recommend Joe for estate planning- you will not be sorry!”
- Barbara (Somerville, MA)
Joseph drafted the basic documents (will, DPOA, HCP, trust) needed for basic estate planning for me and my wife. He is personable and, in spite of his youthful looks, appears to be solid in his professional services. Joseph captured the essence of my wishes in the documents, and was always available to answer any questions… I’m confident we got a fair deal for our money.”
- Oscar (Melrose, MA)
“We approached Joseph to provide a will, trust and health care proxy, etc.; as my wife & I are in our 60s. Joseph took the care & time to explain the process and the benefits of how & what we were doing and the implications. HE was professional in his approach and quite patient with us.”
- Don (Melrose, MA)
“Joseph helped my family and I complete estate planning documents. Pleasure to work with. Prompt and thorough with responses. Top notch service at an affordable price.”
- Waseem (Woburn, MA)
“Joe was a wonderful asset in planning our trust, power of attorney and medical proxy. He was knowledgeable and answered all of my questions. He was a pleasure to work with.”
- John (Woburn, MA)
“I found Joe through a google search. I was impressed with the reviews and I took my chances. It was a great decision with no regrets!! After using his services, I can confirm his website delivers zero false advertising. He was patient with my many questions (some I asked more than once!) and he helped me feel confident through the whole process. I have also had follow-up questions and he has always been there for me. He is my go-to for all matters related to estate planning. He is professional and kind and what matters most to me, he is extremely qualified and knowledge. I highly recommend him.”
- Julie (Wakefield, MA)
“We had the pleasure of working with Joseph on our family trust. Joseph was very knowledgeable and provided us with a lot of insight on our specific situation. We had a few requirements that required some research which he happily did and also showed a lot of patience as we made our final decisions. We strongly recommend Joseph for your estate planning needs.”
- Rachel (Stoneham, MA)
“Joseph was great to deal with. The whole process was fast and convenient. He was great about answering any legalese that we did not understand. He was also very accommodating to any suggestions or changes we requested. I would definitely recommend him.”
- Michael (Stoneham, MA)
“I highly recommend Joe Lento for estate planning. He made the process so smooth, and is very responsive to questions and requests. He is very personable and accommodating. He came to my home for the signing since my elderly father is homebound. If I had known the process would be this easy, I would have done this a lot sooner!”
- Grace (Stoneham, MA)
“My husband and I had a great experience working with Attorney Joseph M. Lento. He is professional, efficient, and personable. Joseph is very knowledgeable in his field, explained all the details regarding our living trust, and answered all our questions. I HIGHLY recommend Attorney Joseph M. Lento to anyone considering their trust or estate planning.”
- Galina (Wakefield, MA)
“My husband and I procrastinated way too long to do a will and trust thinking of the hassle involved. But, to the contrary, Joe made it simple and easy for us while thoroughly providing us with courteous, caring and proficient service. We were comfortable asking as many questions needed to understand the process. And as all is now completed, Joe, continues to make us aware of him being available for any further questions. We highly recommend Joe Lento for all your estate planning.”
- Ann (Groveland, MA)
“My wife and I, who are in our 30's, reached out to Joe Lento for his expertise on creating a Will and Trust that would bring us peace of mind, especially with 2 little children under the age of 3. Joe was professional, respectful, and provided us with his recommendations based on our financial and family situation. Estate planning was a foreign concept to us, but he made it easy and answered all of our questions, both in-person and via e-mails. We highly recommend Joe to anyone looking for a responsive and knowledgeable attorney for your estate planning needs.”
- Matthew (Stoneham, MA)
News & Insights
The Perennial Guarantee
24 Hour Rule
We respond to all inquiries within 24 business hours. If a response requires additional thought/time, then we will confirm receipt of your inquiry and provide an estimated response time accordingly.
Fixed Pricing
We provide up-front fixed-fee pricing so you know exactly what your estate plan will cost.
No unexpected invoices or billing by the minute.
5 Day Drafting Turnaround
After the initial meeting, you will receive the first drafts of your documents within 5 business days.
Perennial Estate Planning Organizer
Does your family know where to look for key documents if something happens to you? Get all your most important thoughts and documents in one place with your free Perennial Estate Planning Organizer. Inside the Perennial Estate Planning Organizer, you’ll find over 30 templates consisting of things like:
Step by step instructions to loved ones in the event of incapacity and/or death
Instructions regarding care of children and other dependents (including pets, if any)
Important contacts for employment, business, and community organizations
How to access key documents, digital assets, social media accounts, and passwords
Inventory of current assets and debts including bank and brokerage accounts, real estate, life insurance, vehicles, retirement/pension benefits, credit cards, etc.
Additional details regarding burial, cremation, funeral/memorial services, anatomical gifts and other helpful instructions for your family that are intended to minimize the administrative and emotional burden and ensure your wishes are followed.
To receive your free perennial estate planning organizer, please enter your email below:
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Schedule your first free meeting by emailing Attorney Joseph Lento at JLento@perennialtrust.com or by calling our office at (781) 202-6368. We always try our best to plan the meeting around your schedule, so please send a few times that work best for you and we can go from there.
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Attorney Lento is generally available for phone calls anytime between 8:30 AM - 5 PM Monday through Friday. Virtual meetings are available up until 7pm on most weekdays. For in-person meeting times, please contact Attorney Lento directly at (781) 202-6368 or by emailing JLento@PerennialTrust.com. His schedule is also available online by clicking the "Schedule Meeting" button below.
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If you have already completed an estate plan, then please bring a copy of those documents with you. Otherwise, no preparation is needed. Just bring yourself and we will take care of the rest.
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Generally, the process consists of two meetings (the initial meeting and your signing) with the option of having a review meeting in between. The initial meeting usually takes somewhere between 20 to 40 minutes depending on how many questions you have and the complexity of your situation. The goal of the initial meeting is to gather the essential information to allow us to begin drafting your initial estate planning documents. An optional follow-up/review meeting can be done over the phone or in person and usually takes less than 20 minutes (however, many clients opt to send emails back and forth in lieu of the review meeting). The final meeting involves the signing/execution of your estate planning documents, which is around 20 minutes as well. So in total, the entire estate planning process may take less than 2 hours of your time when working with Perennial Estate Planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
PERENNIAL ESTATE PLANNING GUIDE
The Perennial Estate Planning Guide will provide you with the essential information you need to understand:
The basic estate planning documents (Will, Durable Power of Attorney for Finances, and Health Care Proxy)
How a Revocable Living Trust works and examples of common trust structures to help you better understand how a trust can be customized to your family's specific situation.
To receive your free Perennial Estate Planning Guide, enter your email address below and then click "Get Estate Planning Guide.”
3 Steps to Complete Your Estate Plan
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1) Schedule Your Meeting
Call (781) 202-6368, email JLento@PerennialTrust.com or schedule your meeting online by clicking the “Schedule Meeting” button below.
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2) Learn Your Options
Tell us what matters most to you and we’ll walk you through everything you need to know in order to make well-informed estate planning decisions to protect your children’s inheritance, minimize estate taxes, and avoid probate.
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3) Execute Your Plan
We’ll put all the pieces in place to provide you with the final product - your personally tailored and comprehensive estate plan.