Our planning process
We know that beginning your estate plan is a big step, and our process is designed to ensure your confidence in the planning process each step of the way. Every decision is carefully reviewed with you and yet the entire process doesn’t stretch out beyond 8 weeks, so you know that within a single month after working with Estate Planning Angel, your family could be totally protected.
It’s the perfect combination of efficiency and warmth.
The planning process itself begins with an initial meeting that is an opportunity for you to meet with Yael Lazar so that you each can determine whether there is a good fit between you and our firm. During this initial meeting, Yael will walk you through exactly what your loved ones would have to do and where your assets would go if something happened to you.
You will then be able to determine if there is anything about your current plan (or the state’s plan for you) that you don’t like and you’ll get clear on what you would want put in place instead if something were to happen to you.
Assuming there is a good fit between you and our firm, Yael will help you to choose the planning level and fee that is right for your family we have three different planning levels to accommodate your needs – our fees begin at $2,000 and they are all-inclusive, so there are no surprises.
Sometimes, depending on the level of planning you choose and the complexity of your situation, a second design meeting is needed or a Whole Family Wealth Audit meeting is offered to review your more complex financial matters.
Once your plan has been designed to your satisfaction, you will return to our office about 4-6 weeks later to sign your planning documents. At this point, your family and your assets will be completely protected in the case of your death or incapacity.
In most law firms, the relationship ends there, but we see the signing of these documents as the beginning of our relationship with your family. This is where our law firm is different.
After you sign your legal documents, we don’t just send you on your way and wish you luck for the future. Instead, we create an electronic record of all of your legal documents so you can easily access them anytime you need. Then, you can schedule a legacy meeting accordingly. This is one of the most important meetings of our process because it’s where we:
- Ensure your assets are all owned in the right way. You can have the best set of legal documents but if your assets are not owned in the right way, it’s all a waste.
- Make sure everyone that you’ve named to take care of your kids, the money you are leaving behind, or you if you cannot care of yourself, knows just what to do if something happens.
- Capture and plan for your intangible assets— the values, insights, stories, and experiences— you would never want lost.
We still aren’t done! We will meet with you at least every three years to review your plan and make sure it stays up to date. If that is not included in the planning you are doing, the set of documents you get will likely be worthless when your family needs them.
