CHOOSE YOUR PLAN
Flat Fee Estate Planning Packages
Estate Planning
Estate planning is not just for the wealthy. All adults should have an estate plan, but for parents with minor children it is essential.
Without proper estate planning, the court system could decide who will raise your children if you are no longer able to care for them and your assets may not be distributed and managed how you would want them to be.
Whelan Law PLLC provides comprehensive estate planning services to individuals and couples of all income levels. I work closely with each client to ensure that their estate plan is tailored to meet their needs.
At the end of the process my clients have more just a will or a trust, they have a comprehensive set of documents that will protect their family.
The Estate Planning Process
My estate planning process is designed to make it as easy as possible for busy families to finally check estate planning of their to-do list. Here is what you can expect:
Through each step of the process, I will be available to answer any questions you have. I am happy to email, text, get on the phone, or set up additional meetings to help support you. I offer flat rate services, so you never have to worry about additional fees if you need to talk to me.
When the documents are ready, I will arrange a signing either at your home or at my office. I will take care of supplying a notary and witnesses, if necessary.
The associated fees are all included in my flat rate services. Your estate planning documents will not be of any use to you if they are not properly signed, so I ensure this final step gets done.
Wills
A will is an essential component of any estate plan. A will allows you to determine who will get your property if you pass away. A will also allows you to name permanent guardians for your minor children.
If you do not have a will, your property will be distributed through the laws of intestacy. This may not be the result you want.
For example, many people assume if they pass away that their spouse will inherit all their property, but this is not typically the case.
Without proper estate planning any money your children inherit from you could be subject to court oversight.
Trusts
Trusts are not just for the wealthy. Trust planning can be extremely beneficial to families with minor children. Unlike a will, proper trust planning will allow you to avoid probate, a public, and sometimes lengthy and expensive process. Your assets will pass directly to your loved ones in the event of your death without court involvement.
Trust planning allows parents to control when and how their children inherit assets. Without creation of a trust, minor children will inherit all assets at age 18. With trust planning a parent can determine at what age or ages assets should be inherited.
Incapacity Planning
In addition to planning for your death, Whelan Law PLLC helps families plan for incapacity. If you were in an accident and were incapacitated would your family have access to your accounts to pay for necessary household expenses? Does your family know what your wishes are with respect to certain medical procedures?
All estate plans I offer include important incapacity planning documents (financial power of attorney, power of attorney for healthcare, and HIPAA authorization) at no additional cost. A power of attorney for healthcare and HIPAA authorization will ensure that whoever you name has access to your health information and the authority to make medical decisions for you if necessary. A financial power of attorney will protect your spouse and your children by ensuring all family assets are immediately available if you become incapacitated.
Kids Safeguard System®
As the mother of young children, I am committed to making sure I help parents do everything they can to protect their minor children. That’s why I am the only law firm in Washington, D.C. to offer the Kids Safeguard System®.
The Kids Safeguard System® was created to go above and beyond the basic estate plan and to make sure that the kids are always protected, and that the parent’s legacy and wishes are documented for their minor children.
How does the Kids Safeguard System® help protect your children? Consider this, if you left your kids with a babysitter for date night and there was a car accident, does your babysitter know who to call to come take care of your children? Do you have family or friends that live close by that are authorized to care for your children in the short term if something happened to you? If not, your children could be temporarily be placed into the custody of child and family services if something happened to you and their other parent. No parent wants to imagine this for their children. The Kids Safeguard System® helps you name short term guardians and puts a plan in place to avoid this outcome.
The Kids Safeguard System® also allows you to document your wishes regarding how your children should be raised and allows you to confidentially document if there is someone you would never want to be a guardian of your children.
The Kids Safeguard System® includes the following:
- Nomination of Temporary Guardians
- Letters to Temporary Guardians
- Letters to Permanent Guardians
- Guardian Exclusion Letter
- Family Emergency Information
- Wishes to Guardians
BONUS
- Laminated Emergency Wallet Cards
- Emergency Car Seat Stickers
Will Package
Starting at $1495 (single) $1995 (couple) /
- Will
- Health Care Power of Attorney
- Financial Power of Attorney
- HIPAA Authorization
Basic Trust Package
Starting at $2995 (single) $3995 (couple) /
- Revocable Living Trust
- Certification of Trust
- Pour-Over Will
- Health Care Power of Attorney
- Financial Power of Attorney
- HIPAA Authorization
- Deed transfer of a DC property
- Kids Safeguard System ®
Kids Safeguard System ®
$395 /
- Nomination of Temporary Guardians
- Letters to Temporary Guardians
- Letters to Permanent Guardians
- Guardian Exclusion Letter
- Family Emergency Information
- Wishes to Guardians
- Laminated Emergency Wallet Cards
- Emergency Car Seat Stickers
