Our Process - Comprehensive Estate Planning

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Our comprehensive estate planning process usually involves 3 Meetings:

1. Peace of Mind Planning Session
2. Signing Ceremony
3. Plan Presentation Meeting

🚦 To get started, contact us for your Free Informational and Intake Call (about 20 mins., ASAP).

• 🩺 Please let us know if your timing is urgent. A rush fee may apply to complete your estate planning on short notice or a tight deadline. ✈️

➡️ Next we’ll schedule your Peace of Mind Planning Session (2 hours, online or in-office).

1. 💻 Complete your online worksheet, share background information, and upload prior estate planning documents, financial statements, divorce settlement agreements, or anything else relevant for the attorney to review to prepare for your meeting.
2. 💳 Pay your initial consultation fee securely online. This will be credited toward your total flat fee if you engage us to move forward with your plan implementation.
3. 👩🏻‍💼 Meet with the Attorney to ask all your questions, share your concerns and goals, receive specific legal advice about your unique family and financial circumstances, and personalized guidance to help you make well-informed and good decisions to complete your estate plan design. *Occasionally, an additional Plan Design Meeting is required. If so, we will Agree to Proceed and request a deposit to continue. That will also be credited toward your total flat fee if you continue to move forward and implement your plan with us.
4. 🤝 Sign your flat fee Engagement Agreement to work with us to implement your estate plan design.
5. 💳 Pay the first half of your flat fee, less the credit(s) for your initial consultation and, if applicable, additional Plan Design Meeting.

Meet with us for your Signing Ceremony (90 minutes, in-office) to:

• 🔎  review your legal documents with us, including any deeds to real estate involved, for real time explanations and answers to any questions or concerns you may have
• ✍️ formally sign your legal documents into effect with a Notary Public and two Witnesses
• Then you’re covered by DGVE law! #coveredbydgvelaw
• We’ll hold onto everything just long enough to scan and organize into completed portfolios and prepare final asset alignment / trust funding recommendations for you.

Meet with us for your Plan Presentation Meeting (1 hour).

• 📘 receive your completed portfolios with a plain language summary, visual diagram, and practical tools to help you share critical information with the people who would step in to help you and your loved ones in an emergency
• 🪪 receive your emergency wallet card with 24/7/365 access to your health care agents’ (plus minor children’s guardians’) contact information, and relevant emergency legal documents
• 📊 learn how to make sure your assets line up with your legal documents (including custom beneficiary designation recommendations and account re-registrations) so your plan works when needed

⌛️Life moves fast, so check in with us for a Review Meeting at least every 3 years to make sure your estate plan stays fresh and doesn’t become stale and fail when needed. 

• By staying on top of changes to your assets and making minor updates to your estate plan periodically, you can avoid serious unintended and otherwise avoidable negative consequences like:
  • having the wrong people still named to take care of your children, express your health care wishes, or manage all of your money and other assets
  • accidentally benefitting someone you do not want to benefit
  • neglecting to properly designate beneficiaries or retitle financial accounts in a way that makes them have to go through the Probate Court process, wasting both time and money and causing your loved ones unnecessary stress
  • changes in the law that will result in your estate having to pay Massachusetts estate taxes or federal estate taxes