The cost of your Estate Plan will depend on your situation. Perhaps you may only need, or desire, a very simple estate plan. If so, your costs will be minimal. Simple estate planning usually involves the use of: a Will; Medical Power of Attorney; Financial Power of Attorney; HIPAA Directive; and a Living Will (i.e. a directive regarding termination of life support). This type of planning is usually done for a fixed fee. Please see the tab for “Fees for Simple Plans”.
Many families desire that their estate (and affairs) remain very private and free from interference (by family or others). Also, many families desire that great care be taken with the beneficiaries of their estate. For instance, some families are concerned that their beneficiaries may waste their inheritance, lose their inheritance in a bad marriage, or lose their inheritance to creditors. Also, many families are concerned about things like avoiding taxes and/or probate proceedings on their estate. In these type of situations, some form of Trust planning is usually necessary. Trust planning is more costly. However, once your needs are identified, Good & Good should either be able to give you a fixed fee quote for your plan, or a fairly concise range of fees.
At Good & Good your initial consultation is at no charge.
Estate Planning should be handled by a lawyer. Even if you have a “simple” estate, you should seek legal consultation. Along with legal consultation, documents will need to be prepared which represent your desires. The documents needed will vary greatly depending on your situation. However, most of the common documents include: Medical Directives such as Medical Powers of Attorney and HIPAA Directives; Financial Powers of Attorney (also known as Durable Powers of Attorney); Wills; and Trusts. Again, all estates vary greatly. Your attorney will guide you through the decisions that you need to make in order to prepare the Estate Plan that is right for your family.