* The first step is to attend your Peace of Mind Planning Session. You’ll fill out a secure online questionnaire (“Family Profile”) before we meet so we can make the best use of our time together. At this Zoom session, you’ll learn all about your options and our flat fees. When you are ready to move forward, we’ll email you an engagement letter and invoice, both of which can be executed online.

* Next is your Estate Plan Design Meeting. We’ll roll up our sleeves and design your trust and other estate planning documents, working off the information you provided in your Family Profile. After this session, I’ll draft your documents and send a copy for your review about two weeks later. We’ll then make any changes or updates you’d like to make. When everything is good to go, we’ll coordinate an in-person Signing Ceremony.

*Your Signing Ceremony is where you’ll sign your documents with the proper legal formalities in front of two witnesses and a notary. We can have this session at our local office. Following the execution of the documents, we are available for free, unlimited lifetime consultations regarding your estate plan.

Estate planning is simply the process of getting legal documents in place so that your chosen individuals are appointed to take care of you, your children, your assets, and your finances in the event of death or incapacity. The process also involves naming the people you want to inherit your assets when you are gone. An “estate plan” is simply a bundle of all the documents needed to accomplish these objectives.

If you don’t have a will or trust, you may think you don’t have an estate plan….but you do. It’s just that the state you live in has written it for you! All states have a default plan for your family and assets in the event of your incapacity or death. That’s the plan you have now. Estate planning is “opting out” of the default plan and putting your own wishes in place.

Estate planning is not one size fits all, so it’s difficult for us to recommend a package and price without knowing more about you. Even if you believe your situation is relatively simple, there may be nuances you are not considering. We discuss our packages/costs in the Peace of Mind Planning Session after we have counseled you on all your options.

We understand that cost is an important factor in choosing an attorney and that estate planning is a significant investment for many. It is our goal to be as transparent and fair as possible. For that reason, we offer flat fees as opposed to billing by the hour, so you know exactly what your investment will be. We also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy with our services, we will make it right or refund your money.

Finally, we will only recommend planning with us if the amount you save by doing an estate plan exceeds than our fee.

You have two options with your estate planning: a will-based or living trust-based plan.

The vast majority of clients choose a living trust. A living trust is a document where you appoint a chosen individual to manage your assets should you become incapacitated and distribute them to your family at your death. It is almost always preferable to a will because it is designed to avoid the time, expense, and publicity of probate, which a will cannot avoid.

It comes as a surprise to many of my clients that wills do not avoid probate court… they guarantee it!

I thoroughly review the difference between a will and a living trust during the Peace of Mind Planning Session. The most common question I get at the end of this session is, “Why would anybody ever do a will?” Ultimately, however, the decision is yours.