DISCOVER OUR SEVEN STEP ESTATE PLANNING PROCESS
Learn more about our trademarked seven-step process created by our estate planning attorneys and how we guide you through the creation of the best estate plan for you & your loved ones.
1: ORGANIZER
It all starts with your Client Organizer that you complete and which gives us a starting point to analyze your current situation.
It also provides us the facts that we need to ask you the right questions pertinent to you.
The Client Organizer should be completed as thoroughly as possible. The information that you provide is confidential, and is important for us to provide the best legal advice during our initial conference.
2: GOALS & RESPONSIBILITY CONVERSATION
As we begin our initial conference, we will ask you what goals are most important to you and what concerns or obstacles may currently stand in the way of achieving those goals.
This will form the basis of your estate planning strategies, and provide us valuable insight into your mindset.
We will also review who should make decisions for you if you could no longer do so for yourself, which is an often neglected but vital element to your estate plan.
Finally, we’ll discuss who might be the best party to handle all of the responsibilities necessary to carry out your final wishes and directions.
3: DESIGN
We will work together to design a will or trust package that meets your needs, given your family and financial situation, and your goals and concerns.
There is no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” estate plan.
The Design element will consider the types of assets that you own, how you own them, and the relative tax consequences of your holdings, among other things, in fashioning your individualized plan. We will provide you a fixed fee quote so that you know the price for us to complete your planning.
4: DOCUMENT BUILDER
We will build your documents based upon the Design phase specifications, providing you easy to read and understand flowcharts and summaries.
You will have as much time as you need to ask questions and consider revisions to the first draft.
It is important to know that we want to answer any and all questions that you may have about this process.
5: ADVISOR COORDINATOR
You may have a trusted attorney, CPA, or financial advisor that you would like involved in this process. We’re happy to do so. Just let us know and we will either invite them to your meetings, or conference call them in if they are not local.
6: ASSET ALIGNMENT
Unlike other firms who hand you a sheet of instructions how to align (transfer or “fund”) your assets into your revocable trust, we do it with you.
This is another way that our unique process provides you confidence, comfort and clarity. You’ll rest assured knowing that your legal team includes well-trained professionals who work with your financial firms, banks and advisors to ensure that everything is titled correctly.
7: CLIENT CARE
Your estate plan includes one free year in our Client Care Program, which is a cost effective way to ensure that your documents do not fall out of date with the ever changing legal, tax and financial world.
The Client Care Program also works to keep your plan up to date with your family and financial situation. When you open a new account or acquire a new asset, our team will work with you to make sure that it’s titled correctly.
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