You know that death isn’t simple, and Wills aren’t simple, but now you don’t know where to start. How am I going to help?
It is my goal to help you to prepare a proper, complete Estate Plan. I don’t do “simple” Wills because I have spent 20 years helping families to administer the Estate of their loved ones, and I know that the false security of preparing a basic document is not enough.
While culturally in Australia we are happy to joke that the only certainties in life are death and taxes, we aren’t very good at actually talking about and planning for one of those certainties. Most people don’t realise how difficult and exhausting being an Executor can really be until they have to do it themselves. Lets help that person out by preparing a proper Estate Plan, lets stop pretending that death is simple.
I am not going to give you a whole bunch of long letters and things to read and then abandon you to do it on your own. I am going to make sure that you understand what steps are involved, and where we are in the process. I am going to try to make sure that you understand why your Estate Plan deals with certain problems, rather than ask you to trust me that I am dealing with this incredibly complex thing for you. I am going to leave you with a document, called a Letter of Wishes, that you can update in your own time and space as life changes without having to keep coming back to me.
Estate Plan (online)
Couple - $4,500 plus Disbursements
Single - $3,500 plus Disbursements
After years of helping people to administer the estates of their family members I have learned that there is no such thing as a simple Will, and so I don’t do simple Estate Plans. We will do a complete Estate Plan, whether that includes a Testamentary Trust or not, and whether that includes a Power of Attorney or not.
Estate Plan (in person)
Couple - $5,100 plus Disbursements
Single - $4,500 plus Disbursements
If you want a complete Estate Plan, but you would also prefer to meet in person, then this is the plan for you. We would meet at 3/120 Mulgoa Road, Jamisontown for an initial consultation, and our following consultations.
Decision making documents
Couple - $1,500 plus Disbursements
Single - $1,100 plus Disbursements
If you have already prepared a Will and you just need the decision making documents then I can help with that as well. We will go through the usual Power of Attorney and Appointment of Enduring Guardian documents, but we will also create a specific Letter of Wishes that only deals with your retirement, aged cared and end of life decisions.
Estate Administration
Are you an Executor or Administrator of an Estate in NSW? Dealing with the death of a loved one is difficult, and being the Executor or Administrator is an added level of difficulty because everybody probably thinks that you can (or should) answer all of their questions.
I understand that this is a stressful time and I can help. In order to give you a price I would have to know more about the Estate, because our fees are prescribed in NSW and so once I know what the assets are I will be able to give you a quote. You could book an initial consultation with me, or you could email me with details about your Estate for a quote.
What will we do?
If you are wondering what I mean by a complete Estate Plan, or not a simple Will, some of the things we will cover include -
Discussing you and your family or loved ones, your beneficiaries, and who you want included in your Will
Looking at your asset and debt position, what is in the Will, what is out of the Will, and what documents you need
Deciding between an “I love you” Will and a Discretionary Testamentary Trust
Discussing your retirement and aged care plans, and how that fits into your Estate Plan, and we will actually start with your retirement and aged care plans because this is where most clients get overwhelmed and try to do the minimum
Some of the steps we will take together include -
We start with two appointments, the first appointment is about your Power of Attorney, your Appointment of Enduring Guardian, your superannuation, and your retirement plans including how you would fund aged care, and what your preferences are
In the second appointment we will discuss your Wills, what I mean by a comprehensive Estate Plan, and whether you should have a discretionary testamentary trust
After the second appointment I will have the necessary information to draft your documents, which you can read and then come back to me with questions
After we have signed the Will and other documents we will finalise work on other things, like your Letter of Wishes, your superannuation details, and choosing a place to store your important documents
