Life & Legacy Planning FAQs

To learn more about what estate planning is, Tamara created a series of short videos to teach the basics, from explaining what wills and trusts are, to the process of estate planning, how much it costs, how long it takes, and more.

You can view the entire YouTube playlist by clicking HERE. 

A Personal Family Lawyer® is a trusted advisor who helps you make the very best personal, financial, legal, and business decisions for your family throughout your lifetime and is there to guide your loved ones when you can't be.

When it comes to estate planning, the best outcome for you, your family, and your loved ones will be achieved only by working with a lawyer who is familiar with various different estate planning situations and encounters them daily.

DIY or Online estate plans often fail or don't cover everything that should be covered by a comprehensive plan. (See our short video on DIY Plans here).

A will alone does very little. That is the dirty little secret of traditional estate planning. Even the “legal 4” set of documents (Will, Power of Attorney, Healthcare Directive, Revocable Living Trust) often are not enough to keep you or your surviving loved ones out of court and out of conflict. Working with a lawyer who has a process for helping you make wise decisions will help you know what you need based on what you have and what you want. That’s what Life & Legacy Planning is all about.

 You have worked your whole life for what you have and meticulously fostered the relationships in your life. Unfortunately, some families collapse after the death of a loved one because they either did no planning at all, or if they did, it was through an online platform that knew nothing about their family or unique circumstances and that ultimately failed them when their family needed help the most. We encourage a lifelong relationship between you and your estate planning attorney so that you have a lawyer to be there for your family when you cannot be.

Click HERE to see this FAQ answered on YouTube

Financially rich or not, you likely have accumulated quite a lot throughout your life, and someone will have to handle all of it if you become incapacitated or when you die. If you do not have an estate plan, you will automatically get the State's plan applied to your assets, and of you know anybody who has had the pleasure of experiencing California's probate court, they'll tell you that's not a good thing. So you need an estate plan only if you want to minimize the burden on the people you love of handling everything you have if something should happen to you.

We're here to help you get your ducks in a row.

Click HERE to see this FAQ answered on YouTube

You sure can. There are many services that will allow you to create a will at very low cost, and even free. And, as you know, you get what you pay for… so, if you do create a will yourself online, please make sure you have it reviewed by a lawyer who will help you understand the choices you have, and the impact of the choices you make, on the people you love. 

We put together a resource to make this decision simple for you. Click to read "3 Essential Questions to Ask Before Creating Your Will Online" 

https://personalfamilylawyer.com/3-essential-questions-to-ask-before-creating-your-will-online/

Click HERE to watch on YouTube and learn more about our Life & Legacy Planning Session 

If you have things you care about and people you love, you need an estate plan so you can leave what you have to the people you love without a big mess. Life and Legacy Planning guides you to get clear on what you need, and how to put a plan in place to support it all. Watch our webinar, read our book, or schedule a 15-min consult with me, and see how you’ll benefit. We think your family is worth it.

Click HERE to see this FAQ answered on YouTube

This is the most often asked question in estate planning, and that is okay – we know the topic of cost is a sensitive one when it comes to choosing a professional to guide you, and we have designed our fees on a flat-fee basis only so that you know exactly what you are committing to – and there are no surprises. Because every family is different, we don't quote fees online. Instead, we invite you to hop on a complementary 15-minute discovery call to talk about our fee ranges. We also invite you to check out our educational events where we teach you things about estate planning you did not even know to ask.

The cost of hiring a lawyer needs to be compared to the cost of not hiring a lawyer, or working with a lawyer who lured you in with low fees, but then left your family in the lurch (and unexpected fees).

My pricing is transparent and based on a flat-fee so there are no surprises. Our will plans start at $2,000 and our trust plans start at $4,000. During your Life & Legacy Planning Session, I’ll guide you to choose the right plan for you, at the right budget for your family based on your unique needs, wants, desires, assets, and family dynamics.

And, remember, you’ll only work with me if the benefits exceed the cost, and I will help you determine if that’s the case. It’s all part of their planning process.

As Personal Family Lawyer, I have chosen to focus on estate planning as a primary practice area and to do so using Life & Legacy Planning, a proprietary estate planning methodology. I’ve been trained by New Law Business Model to fulfill the PFL Promise: planning that works to keep your family out of court and out of conflict, and won't fail when your loved ones need it. 

Designing your Estate Plan with us takes between 8-10 weeks. It all starts with our Life & Legacy Planning Session.

Watch Tamara explain the process by clicking HERE.

You’ve already started by researching hiring me as your potential Personal Family Lawyer. I offer prospective clients a free discovery call.

During this call, we'll get to know you and explain our detailed process that is designed to ensure you completely your plan as efficiently and as cost-effective as possible.