Estate Planning

Estate Planning is an essential component to your overall financial plan. It allows you to gain more control over aspects of your life both during your lifetime and after you’re gone.

Having a comprehensive estate plan is essential for everyone, regardless of age or asset level, because it ensures that your wishes are clearly documented and legally enforceable in the event of incapacity or death. An estate plan protects your loved ones from unnecessary legal complications, minimizes potential disputes, and provides clear instructions for managing your healthcare, finances, and assets.

Capital Area Planning Group has partnered with Encore Estate to provide you with a trust-based estate plan–consisting of the Five Essential Documents–all for a flat fee of $1,999.

  • This is the primary document that outlines how your assets will be managed during your lifetime and distributed after your death. It names the trustee, successor trustees, beneficiaries, and provides detailed instructions for asset management and distribution.

  • This document appoints someone you trust to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated, including the ability to fund the trust with assets that were not previously transferred.

  • This document outlines your medical care preferences and designates a healthcare agent to make medical decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so yourself.

  • This document grants your designated agents the legal right to access your protected medical information, which is often critical for making informed healthcare and financial decisions if you become incapacitated.

  • This document acts as a safety net, ensuring that any assets not formally titled in the name of the trust during your lifetime are "poured over" into the trust upon your death, so that they are distributed according to the trust's terms and not through intestate succession.

In addition to having the right documents, there are five major decisions that go into a well crafted estate plan:

  • This is WHO will receive your assets when you pass away.

  • This is HOW your beneficiaries will receive assets when you pass away.

    Depending on the age and financial capabilities of your beneficiaries, you may wish to delay distributions to a beneficiary until they reach specific milestones.

  • This is the person(s) who will make financial decisions for you in the event you cannot.

    The type of person who makes a good trustee is someone who is financially responsible, would handle finances similar to you, and is generally a good decision maker.

  • This is the person(s) who will make health care decisions for you in the event you cannot.

    The person you name here would need to be able to make decisions during a difficult, emotional time.

  • This is the person(s) who will have legal custody of any minor children should you pass away.

    The guardian(s) will work with the trustee to access funds on behalf of any minor children.

Get a Trust-Based Estate Plan for $1,999

This plan includes a Revocable Living Trust, Certification of Trust, General Transfer, Financial Power(s) of Attorney, Advance Health Care Directive(s)/Power of Attorney for Health Care, HIPAA Release(s), Pour Over Will(s), and one Property Deed Transfer.

A deposit of $249 will be charged at the time your consultation is scheduled. However, it will be applied to the final cost of preparing your estate plan.

Clients choosing to engage CAPG for a full financial plan following the estate planning process may apply the $1,999 already paid toward the annual financial planning fee within thirty (30) days of receiving their estate plan. 

Additional Services

Mobile Notary Services: $499

We will print, bind, tab and ship the physical documents to you for signature. In addition, we will dispatch a notary plus two witnesses to your home or office to make the signing process easy. 

Deed Transfer: $499

We will file a quitclaim deed to retitle any real estate into the name of the Revocable Living Trust. The trust-based estate plan package includes the filing of one quitclaim deed, and any additional properties can be re-titled at an additional cost.

This fee includes all County Recorder fees and the costs to pull the last recorded deed, prepare the deed, and prepare all state and county-specific documents.

This service is not available in the following states: District of Columbia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, and North Carolina.

Business Assignments: $99

This assigns a business interest to a trust for probate avoidance purposes.

Disclosures:

***Note: CAPG is not an estate planning firm and does not provide legal counsel. We partner with a third-party service called Encore Estate (think TurboTax for estate plans) and guide you through the process.

***NOTE: The pricing for Trust-Based Estate Plans is the same whether you are a single person, a married couple, or a domestic partnership. However, you must purchase two plans for married couples wanting to create an individual trust for each spouse.

***Note: We allow one round of revisions after completing the initial set of documents. You have up to 60 days to request revisions of these documents. Any required revisions need to be submitted at the same time. After we have made these edits, a fee of $250 will be charged for any additional revisions requested thereafter.

***Note: We are a great fit for most clients, but not all of them. The following client types will need to seek advice from an estate planning attorney directly and will not be able to complete a plan through CAPG:

  • Clients seeking advice to establish a NEW business, such as an LLC, General Partnership, or S-Corp.

  • Clients whose personal assets total over $10,000,000 (single) or $20,000,000 (married).

  • Clients who intend to disinherit any biological or legally adopted children.

  • Clients whose families have a history of litigation with trusts and estates that they anticipate will impact their own estate plan.

  • Clients who plan to gift money to a non-family member who also provides care for them.

  • Clients who require assistance in drafting a special needs trust.

  • Clients seeking to draft an immediate Irrevocable Trust.

  • Clients with concerns regarding Medicaid spend-down or those seeking a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT).