A Comprehensive Approach
All of our estate plans are comprehensive solutions. This means that when our work is done, our clients will have an estate plan that covers all of their estate planning needs.
Those needs are:
A distribution scheme that determines distribution of assets at death.
Selection of agents for key estate planning roles. Those roles include estate administrators, trustees for young beneficiaries or beneficiaries with special needs, guardians for minor children (if applicable), powers of attorney for finances, and powers of attorney for health care.
Selection of the right estate planning tool. Will-based plans are the simplest plans but typically require probate court settlement. Trust-based plans are more involved at the planning stage but avoid probate.
We are not purveyors of any one solution, nor do we think of our work as simply providing documents. Our job is to provide solutions for our clients’ estate planning needs.
A Thoughtful process
Our estate planning process is carefully designed to make creating an estate plan as straightforward as possible for our clients. We follow the following steps:
An initial consultation. During this meeting, we gather basic family and asset information and work on a first draft of the plan. If a draft is completed, we provide a quote and prepare drafts. If not, we provide a homework list.
Client review. During this stage, the client reviews the drafts and advises on any changes from the first draft.
Signing meeting. At this meeting, we review the documents together and ensure that everything is as it should be. If so, we ensure all documents are properly signed and witnessed. If the plan is a revocable trust-based plan, we also use this meeting to plan for how assets will be connected to the trust. (This is called funding the trust.)
Funding meeting. For trust-based plans, our final meeting is a chance to ensure the trust is properly funded. This includes signing deeds and any other documents needed to fund the trust, and reviewing work the client and their advisors have done.
Our proven process allows us to complete plans quickly and cost-effectively, without compromising quality. The best compliment we receive is when our clients say, “That wasn’t so bad—why didn’t I do that years ago?”
Getting Started
The first step in every estate plan is a no-obligation consultation with an estate planning attorney. During that meeting, we will:
Make sure we understand your family structure.
Discuss your assets. A detailed personal financial is not necessary, but we need rough numbers for real estate, any business interests, retirement accounts, and other investments.
Work on a first draft of your plan.
If we are able to work through all questions needed to complete your plan, at the conclusion of the meeting we can provide a quote for the work to be done. If not, we provide a homework list and plan for a follow up meeting.
To get started, please call the office to schedule your estate planning consultation. We look forward to meeting you!
READY TO GET STARTED?
All of our work starts with a no-obligation consultation to discuss your situation and how we can help.
Call us to make your appointment today!