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Wills, powers of attorney and probate
The version where nobody argues.
Most family arguments about money begin with a document that was never written, or one written badly and never looked at again. This is the unglamorous work that prevents both — at a fixed price, with nothing sold to you that you don't need.
0Percentage fees, ever
0Annual storage charges
90 minOf your time, for a straightforward will
24 yrsDoing this particular work
Planning ahead
If you have nothing — One meeting and a will. It is a smaller job than the putting-off suggests
If you have an old one — Bring it. Half of what we do is finding the clause that stopped making sense
If someone may need looking after — Say so first. It changes the shape of everything else
If you own a business — That's a longer conversation, and worth having before it's urgent
If you have an old one — Bring it. Half of what we do is finding the clause that stopped making sense
If someone may need looking after — Say so first. It changes the shape of everything else
If you own a business — That's a longer conversation, and worth having before it's urgent
Someone has died
In the first fortnight — Almost nothing legal has to happen. Take the time
You may not need probate — Small estates and jointly-owned homes often don't need it at all
You may not need us — Plenty of estates are done by the family. We say when yours is one
When you're ready — The first conversation is free and it is not a sales call
You may not need probate — Small estates and jointly-owned homes often don't need it at all
You may not need us — Plenty of estates are done by the family. We say when yours is one
When you're ready — The first conversation is free and it is not a sales call
What we won't sell you
A trust you don't need — Right for some people and oversold to everybody. We tell you which you are
Ourselves as your executor — It bills your estate quietly for years. Name a person you trust instead
Annual storage — You keep the original and we keep a copy. There is no yearly charge for either
A percentage of your estate — Our fees are fixed and quoted first. A percentage rewards us for your death, not our work
An appointment you didn't ask for — Nobody rings you to review anything. We write every few years to ask if things changed
Ourselves as your executor — It bills your estate quietly for years. Name a person you trust instead
Annual storage — You keep the original and we keep a copy. There is no yearly charge for either
A percentage of your estate — Our fees are fixed and quoted first. A percentage rewards us for your death, not our work
An appointment you didn't ask for — Nobody rings you to review anything. We write every few years to ask if things changed
Every one of those is a real product sold by real firms, and every one of them is the reason this section exists. Ask any will-writer about all five before you sign anything with them.
If you don't write one, the law writes it for you
Who inherits — A fixed order set by law, which pays no attention at all to what you'd have wanted
An unmarried partner — Often receives nothing, however long the two of you were together
Step-children — Usually not included, unless you formally adopted them
Who sorts it all out — Whoever is entitled to apply — not necessarily the person you would have chosen
Guardians for your children — Decided by a court, on whatever information it happens to have
An unmarried partner — Often receives nothing, however long the two of you were together
Step-children — Usually not included, unless you formally adopted them
Who sorts it all out — Whoever is entitled to apply — not necessarily the person you would have chosen
Guardians for your children — Decided by a court, on whatever information it happens to have
None of that is a scare tactic. It is simply what happens by default. Write one anywhere, with anybody, at any price — but write one.
Fixed prices, quoted before we start
One will
$340 fixed
- A meeting, in person or by video
- The draft, and one round of changes
- The signing appointment
- A copy kept, with no annual fee
Two wills
$520 a couple
- Everything above, for both of you
- Second marriages and step-families handled properly
- Guardians named for children
- Advice on what NOT to put in it
Wills and powers of attorney
$980 a couple
- Both wills
- Powers of attorney for property and for health
- Registration handled for you
- The conversation about who to appoint, which is the hard part
Fixed, quoted before anything starts, and including the meeting, the drafting, one round of changes and the signing appointment. Powers of attorney also carry a government registration fee — that one is theirs, and it is shown to you at cost.
If someone has died
There is no rush in the first fortnight, and very little that has to happen immediately. When you're ready, this is the order things usually come in.
First, nothing legal at all — Registering the death and telling people. Both come before any of this
You may not need probate — Small estates and jointly-held homes frequently don't. We check that for free
You may not need us — Plenty of straightforward estates are done by the family, and we say when yours is one
If you do want help — A fixed fee, quoted once we've seen the estate — never a percentage of it
How long it takes — Months, and most of that is waiting on banks and registries rather than on us
You may not need probate — Small estates and jointly-held homes frequently don't. We check that for free
You may not need us — Plenty of straightforward estates are done by the family, and we say when yours is one
If you do want help — A fixed fee, quoted once we've seen the estate — never a percentage of it
How long it takes — Months, and most of that is waiting on banks and registries rather than on us
The first conversation is free, and it often ends with us telling you that you don't need to pay anybody at all. That happens often enough to be worth saying here.
★★★★★
“They talked us out of the trust another firm had quoted for, and explained why in about four sentences. It saved us more than their entire fee.”
Helen and Tobi M.
Wills and powers of attorney
★★★★★
“My father died and they told me I probably didn't need probate at all. Then checked it, for nothing, and I didn't.”
Anonymous
By request
Start with a conversation
Free, and it often ends with us telling you that what you need is simpler and cheaper than you had assumed.
Ask about wills or probate
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