HOW MUCH SHOULD MY ESTATE PLAN COST?
HOW MUCH SHOULD MY ESTATE PLAN COST?
As you can imagine, we get the question “how much should my estate plan cost” quite frequently.
And, it’s a good question that I want to answer for you as clearly as I can, given that there is not a “one-size fits all solution” for every family, and I would run quickly away from any lawyer who can tell you exactly what your plan would cost via email or over the phone, without a comprehensive discovery process.
You see, this is exactly why most estate plans fail. Families shop around based on price (because they don’t know any other way to shop for an estate plan), and end up with a traditional plan, which is a set of documents that do not actually work when the family needs them.
In the meantime, here’s what I can assure you:
We’ve priced our estate planning for you and your family at the intersection of affordability and effectiveness.
We start all of our plans with a Life & Legacy Planning Session, which is designed to get you more financially organized than you have ever been before, and ensure that no matter what happens, none of your hard-earned assets will be lost to the State Department of Unclaimed Property, when something happens to you.
Even if you never do any planning with us, the Life & Legacy Planning Session alone is a hugely valuable process for you and your family, because you will create a full inventory of your assets and ensure your family knows what you have.
Then, when we meet in person, we will review everything you own, and discuss everyone you love, and you will understand exactly what would happen to everything you own and everyone you love, in the event of your death or incapacity.
If you do not have a plan, we will cover the plan the State has for you. If you do have a plan, we will review your current plan with you. (We call this an estate plan review and check-up).
If you are not happy with your current plan (or the plan the State has for you), you will tell us what you would want to change, and we will look at the most effective, efficient and affordable way to achieve your goals.
Here’s the most important part for you to know about this: you will be making informed, educated, empowered decisions for the people you love, not just shopping around based on price.
And the best part is that as part of this process, you will actually choose your own fee based on your budget and the planning options that are most important to you and your family. There truly is no one size fits all choice.
We have created a process, though, to educate you quickly and effectively so that you can make empowered, informed choices about what you want for the people you love, so that you aren’t simply choosing the cheapest option because you don’t have any other basis for making your decisions.
Okay, now having said all that, you probably want to at least know a range of what estate planning will cost.
With all of that background in mind:
- A Life & Legacy Planning Session process is $750. An Estate Plan Review and Checkup is $950. Those fees are applicable if you come in fully uneducated without doing any homework ahead of time.
- If you’d like to do a little preparation ahead of time and secure your appointment time with a credit card (though nothing is charged on your card so long as you keep your appointment and turn in your homework in advance), you can schedule a 15 minute introductory call here or simply call our office at (518) 392-9550 and commit that you will do your homework and prepare for the meeting. That saves us time and saves you money.
- Our three levels of planning for a comprehensive plan (or update of your existing plan) range between $2,750 and $10,500, for a married couple with minor children, depending on the choices you make during the Life & Legacy Planning Session. If you are single, planning is discounted appropriately. And our plans include everything you would expect, plus the guidance and on-going support to ensure they will be effective when you or your family needs it most, kids protection planning, legacy interviews, asset transfers and more.
If after reading this, you are ready to make informed, empowered, educated decisions for the people you love (instead of just shopping around for the cheapest plan, which is unlikely to work when your family needs it), get started by booking your Life & Legacy Planning Session (or Estate Plan Review and Check-up)
WHAT IS A KIDS PROTECTION PLAN®?
A Kids Protection Plan® is a set of instructions, legal documents and even an ID card for your wallet, which you need to have if you have kids at home who count on you for their well-being and care.
If you are in an accident, your Kids Protection Plan® will make sure your children are never taken into the custody of Child Protective Services, strangers or the care of anyone you wouldn’t want because the authorities don't have clear instructions from you. And your Kids Protection Plan® will ensure your children are raised by people you choose, not someone chosen by a Judge who doesn’t know you.
To get started with your Kids Protection Plan®, contact us.
In 10 minutes, this FREE information will help you protect your kids if something unthinkable happens to you prior to creating your formal estate plan. This of it as the first step to ensuring your kids are raised by the people you want, in the way you want, no matter what.