Estate planning prices
Estate Planning Fees
Prices for Estate Planning Documents
For most cases, we strive to provide estate planning on a low-cost, flat fee basis. Usually, an estate plan can be done for a flat fee when there is no tax planning advice needed (i.e., the estate is not taxable upon death), and distributions are going to children a certain specific set of a beneficiaries in a single generation (i.e., all to kids, all to siblings, all to nieces and nephews, etc). If additional services are needed beyond what is supplied in the descriptions below, they will be charged at an hourly rate after cost is reviewed with, and approved by, the client.
Please note that the following fees do not apply if you are a MetLife or ARAG Legal Insurance member.
Initial Consultation $300
For the undecided or people who only want an existing plan reviewed; otherwise this fee is included in any item below. 1 hour maximum total time.
Basic Will Plan - $675 Individual - $975 Couple
Includes for each person:
- A “Basic Will” (no testamentary trust, no complex distributions)
- A Durable Financial Power of Attorney
- A Medical Power of Attorney/Patient Advocate Designation with living will (“Advance Directive”) provisions
- Funeral Representative Designation (for making funeral arranagments)
Basic Wills leave your entire estate to one or more persons, and do not include specific bequests (except for general bequests of tangible personal property), provisions for minor children, or any trust provisions.
Financial and medical powers of attorney allow the person you name to manage your financial affairs and make medical decisions for you in the event you cannot make them for yourself. This plan does not avoid probate (court).
Family Will Plan - $975 Individual - $1,300 Couple
Includes for each spouse:
- A Will with complex distributions and/or one “testamentary” trust for children and/or grandchildren
- A Durable Financial Power of Attorney
- A Medical Power of Attorney/Patient Advocate Designation with living will (“Advance Directive”) provisions
- Funeral Representative Designation (for making funeral arranagments)
The Family Will Plan is for families with children under 18, and for parents who want to leave assets to their adult children in a trust until they reach specified ages or other milestones. The trust is created only after death, with the power given by the probate court. This plan does not avoid probate (court).
Trust Plan - $1,350 Individual - $1,950 Couple
Includes:
- A Revocable Living Trust (joint trust for couples)
- Certificate of Trust
- “Lady bird” style deed for 1 piece of real estate to transfer it into the trust
- Pour-Over Will
- A Durable Financial Power of Attorney
- A Medical Power of Attorney/Patient Advocate Designation with living will (“Advance Directive”) provisions
- Funeral Representative Designation (for making funeral arranagments)
This plan can avoid probate (court).
Retirement Trusts (add-on to any plan) - $650 Individual - $1,000 Couple
Includes:
- A "Retirement Plan Trust" for managing the disposition for 401k, 403(b) and other "Qualified Retirement Plans" for minor beneficaries
This “see-through trust” is designed to comply with the SECURE act regulations, ensuring that children or adult beneficiaries receive RMD (and are prevented from taking a “lump sum” distribution, without court involvement or without excessive administrative costs and problems posed by a standard revocable trust.