An estate plan involves an in depth review of your circumstances, your assets, and the needs of your loved ones to be certain that you and those who matter most to you are taken care of in the case of your incapacity or passing. It can include a Will, Power of Attorney, Healthcare Proxy, HIPAA Authorization, Advance Directive (also called Living Will), Beneficiary Designations, Joint Ownership with Survivorship, Payable on Death Accounts, and Trust.

In Massachusetts, if you die without a valid Will, the laws of the Commonwealth—known as intestacy laws—control how your estate is distributed to your surviving loved ones through a court process called Probate; and your wishes do not affect what a Court does. If you have minor children, a Court will appoint a Guardian and Conservator to determine who will care for your kids and manage their finances, which may even involve a court battle if people disagree about who should care for your children. If you become unable to make decisions for yourself without proper planning, your loved ones will need to apply to become your guardian and conservator.

An estate plan gives you control and peace of mind about what will happen after you pass away—and that’s something all of us could use a little more of! We all have something or someone we want to protect, so estate planning is for everyone.

A Will Plan includes:

• Will

• Durable power of attorney

• Health care proxy

• HIPAA authorization

• Living will/advance directive

• Guidance through the entire process, including beneficiary designations, payable on death accounts, and joint ownership.

• A worksheet of assets and important information and passwords to assist your personal representative in assembling your estate.

• Final signing meeting

• A binder of original documents and electronic copies.

A Trust Plan includes everything in the Will Plan, plus:

• A Revocable Living Trust

• The Will becomes a “Pour-over” Will.

• Quitclaim deeds funding real estate into the Trust, including filing with the Registry of Deeds if you pay the filing fee.

• Instructions on funding assets into the Trust and naming the Trust as a beneficiary.

I aim to be transparent with my pricing, which can be found on the Services Tab, but here’s the basics:

I offer a free 15-minute phone consult with me to determine whether I can help you in your situation, and if we’re a good fit.

I do charge for a 90 minute comprehensive Legacy Planning Consultation; however, if you complete and return to me a questionnaire (I call it your “homework”) 24 hours before the Legacy Planning Consultation, I’ll waive that fee.

If you don’t get your homework done on time, but you decide after the Legacy Planning Consultation to hire me to create your plan, the consultation fee will be applied to the cost of your plan.

Our estate plans are paid on a flat-fee basis. The pricing on my Services page is meant to be transparent, and almost all of our plans are that price. However, for more complicated planning, there are additional fees, which I will be very clear about at our Legacy Planning consultation before you decide to work with me.

Half of the fee is due at the time you sign your engagement letter to hire me, and the rest is due at the document signing, or you can pay all at once. I do not offer any other payment plans. I accept cash, personal checks, bank checks, money orders, and credit cards.

I view estate planning as a gift to your loved ones, anchoring them in a difficult time and saving them thousands of dollars. Helping clients craft a plan that works is the value I hope to provide in my practice.

I’m a compassionate listener and a tireless advocate, and I aim to be a trusted advisor. Estate planning can be an emotional process, but I try to make it easy and—dare I say—fun.

I’m also a parent, spouse, and business owner, so I know how busy my clients are. Not everyone can meet 9-to-5, Monday through Friday at a law office. So I am flexible about meeting times and places. Except for signing meetings, which have to be in-person, I can meet you virtually. I offer some meetings outside of business hours, including evenings and weekends. I’ll even come to your home if you are within a 20 minute drive of my office.

The process is designed to be straightforward and efficient.

Step 1 — 90 Minute Legacy Planning Consultation
We discuss your family, goals, and concerns. I recommend the right plan for your situation. You chose

Step 2 — Engagement
You choose the plan you think is best, sign your engagement letter, and pay half your flat fee.

Step 3 — Drafting
I prepare your documents and send them to you for review. When you approve, we schedule a signing meeting. Most estate plans are completed within 2 to 4 weeks. Urgent situations can often be handled more quickly.

Step 4 — Signing
You pay the remaining fee, and we meet to sign and finalize your plan. I scan your documents and provide you with a binder with your originals, sometimes afterward by mail, and an electronic copy.

I look forward to getting to know you through this process.

I offer:

• Flexible meeting times and locations

• Comprehensive and wholistic analysis to create a plan that works

• Plain language explanations so you understand your plan fully

• Price and process transparency

• A focus on family and your values

Parents should review their plan after major life changes, including:

• Birth or adoption of a child

• Moving to a new home

• Significant financial changes

• Divorce or remarriage

A general rule is to review the plan every 3 to 5 years.

Probate is a public court process that is used to transfer property after someone dies. It involves validating the will, appointing a personal representative, paying debts, and distributing assets to beneficiaries. In Massachusetts, a probate process takes approximately 6 to 12 months for most estates, though simple estates may move faster and complex estates can take longer. Costs of probate vary depending on the size and complexity of the estate, but expenses may include court filing fees, legal fees, and administrative costs. Legal fees vary, but a rule of thumb is that they will probably be around 10% of the value of the estate.

Probate is required if the deceased person owned assets in their individual name without a beneficiary designation. Many assets, such as retirement accounts and life insurance, pass outside of probate if beneficiaries are properly named.

Having a Will does NOT avoid probate; the Will just gives the Court instructions on how to distribute assets, who to appoint to oversee your estate, and who should care for your minor children and their finances. The best way to avoid probate is a Trust. Even then, most Trust plans involve a “Pour-over Will” to put any property into your Trust that can’t be or hasn’t been funded into it before you die.

Probate is long, expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining for those you leave behind. It’s also public record open for anyone to see. Avoiding Probate is a top goal for many people in estate planning.