Our Transparent Approach to Estate Planning

June 27, 2014

At Wokwicz Law Offices, we understand that estate planning can seem like a daunting process to start. We appreciate that all the hype can cause many to put off estate planning, rather than taking the necessary steps to properly plan for themselves and the wellbeing of our future generations. Over our more than 50 years in practice, our firm has made a dedicated commitment to making the process as easy and transparent as possible for our clients.

Our Initial No Fee Meeting

Most attorneys charge an hourly rate for the first meeting, which can cause both the clients and the attorneys to rush the process, failing to fully explore the clients’ real needs and aims, and the best options for realizing those aims. We have determined that the most valuable approach for our clients is to offer an initial no-charge meeting, allowing for a low-pressure, relaxed environment to make sure that our clients are comfortable with us and to make sure that we can accurately access and discuss their unique goals and situations.

Give Yourself Peace of Mind

A properly crafted estate plan can give you peace of mind, knowing your assets and family are well protected. Our estate planning lawyers will help you get there.

We ask that you note that we only can extend this no-fee arrangement for traditional estate planning matters such as Wills, Revocable Trusts, Transfer on Death Deeds, Durable Financial Power of Attorneys, Health Care Power of Attorneys, Non-Probate Marital Property Agreements for Trust Funding and related documents and discussions. (For a full list of what estate planning needs are or are not covered, please read What is Traditional Estate Planning?)

What to Bring to the Initial Estate Planning Consultation

For your first meeting, we ask that you to bring a comprehensive asset list so that we can best determine what type of estate plan is most appropriate for your situation and goals. This detailed list will also help us identify any income, gift, or estate tax issues and other issues that may arise in the planning process. The asset list does not have to be fancy; even a hand written list of your assets and estimated values will suffice for our first meeting.
An asset list usually consists of any of the following items.

  • Information on any and all real estate owned
  • Bank accounts
  • Stocks and mutual funds
  • Retirement accounts
  • Life insurance
  • Significant personal property items
  • Other relevant assets

We will not request account numbers and nor will we normally ask for social security numbers at the initial meeting. We may briefly discuss options for protecting assets from a nursing home, such as Irrevocable Trusts for example, and how that fits into the estate planning picture.

Preparing for An Estate Planning Meeting

While we will certainly bring all of our skills, knowledge and experience to the initial estate planning conversation, we will ask you to think about your goals and aims in creating an estate plan. In the privacy and comfort of our law offices, we will discuss questions like the following:

  • What are your estate planning goals?
  • Who do you want to receive your assets upon death?
  • Is avoiding probate important or do you even understand what probate is all about?
  • Who do you want to be in charge of your estate, assets, trust or Will and health care if you are unable to be in charge?

It is important for you to think about your answers to these questions before we meet. The better you understand your aims and goals, the better we shall be able to create the most appropriate vehicle for getting there.

Our Flat Fee Approach

An initial no-cost, in-office meeting for traditional estate planning clients takes time on our end, but we have found that it allows us to fully discuss your situation and give an accurate estimate for the cost of for our services. Our approach eliminates the need to quote for services over the phone without a full understanding of what will be required. We know that no one wants to be quoted one fee over the phone, only to find that the price has changed after an initial meeting and charge. By meeting first and determining your needs and goals, we can give our clients an accurate quote that will not change.

Get In Touch

We invite you to contact our estate planning attorneys today. Please feel free to call us at 262-658-2181 for an appointment. We will briefly chat through your needs to determine if your appointment falls within our no-free initial estate planning meeting in offices in Kenosha.

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This article is intended as general legal information and not as legal advice to any particular client, nor is it intended as advice on any particular issue or matter. If you have any questions regarding the subject matter of this article, or wish to discuss how the subject matter of this article may apply to your situation, please contact us.