how we work
Planning For The Ones You Love
Our process begins with a Family Wealth Planning Session. Before the Session you will complete homework that will have you feeling more organized and put together than you have in a long time. Maybe ever.
During the Session, we will look at what would happen to all of what you have and everyone you love, if anything were to happen to you.
Then, we’ll determine a plan together to make sure everything goes the way you want it to so you are always in control. And so your family always knows just how much you care.
Should we decide there are things we can do to take care of your family better than they are taken care of now, we will present you with planning options that allow you to decide on your fee and the level of service that is right for you and your family.
Three Levels of Planning
Estate planning at Schwartz Legacy Planning, LLC. is not one size fits all. We offer 3 levels of planning to suit your varying needs. From starter plans primarily for families with young children and little in the way of financial wealth to more robust plans for well-established families concerned with matters of asset protection, preservation and increased growth, we’ve got you covered.
Generally, our fees for a married couple with kids who is not focused on keeping the family out of court range between $2,000 up to $8,000 on the high end for an extensive plan that provides significant asset protection after death + maximum protection for your assets from inadvertent loss to the State Department of Unclaimed Property or the Court process. It’s our opinion that if you are looking for less expensive planning, you may as well read up and do it yourself because you’ll get the same quality of planning online as you will with any lawyer charging fees that are less than what we offer here.
We’ve priced our planning for you at the intersection of affordability and effectiveness. When we meet for your Family Wealth Planning Session, we will review the 3 planning levels with you, and you will choose your own fee based on your budget and the planning options that are most important to you and your family. Our plans are focused on ensuring your family has somewhere to turn if and when something happens to you, that your plan will work and you have real security, not the false security that comes with a cheap set of estate planning documents.
There truly is no one size fits all choice. We have created a process, though, to educate you quickly and effectively so that you can make empowered, informed choices about what you want for the people you love, so that you aren’t simply choosing the cheapest option because you don’t have any other basis for making your decisions.
Personalized Service
We believe in personalized service for each and every client. Our approach is educational and proactive – we educate you based on the specifics of your family situation, your assets, and your individual needs, wants, desires and values and then guide you to tell us what you want most, so we can create the plan (and the fee for that plan) that aligns with your objectives for your family and your assets.
We represent families throughout varying stages of life:
● traditional two parent families or single parents wishing to provide for and protect their children and themselves;
● unmarried couples who are either solidifying their relationship through proper planning or dissolving their relationship with the assistance of caring counsel;
● blended families negotiating the challenges of creating new relationships with varying expectations;
● families with special needs looking to ensure that their children with special needs will be taken care of and able to continue to receive government assistance;
● high net worth families seeking strategies for minimizing estate and income taxes;
● family members or trustees carrying out the legacy left behind through a trust administration.
Ensure Your Plan Is Current
We have annual membership programs to ensure your plan continues to work throughout your lifetime, your assets are always owned in the right way and you are able to feel confident calling us with any legal issue without ever worrying about receiving a bill in the mail for hourly fees. Whether you participate in one of our membership programs or not, we keep all of our clients updated about changes in the law and issues that might affect your life.
We often serve the whole family and multiple generations of the same family. From free estate checkups for elderly parents to basic planning documents for young adult children, become part of our client family and feel how much we care.
Your Family Lawyer For Life
Your Family’s Lawyer for Life
Our Family Wealth VIP Membership programs are part of what set us apart
and allow us to care for you and your family
throughout all life's stages.
At most estate planning law firms the relationship ends when you sign your documents. At Schwartz Legacy Planning, LLC. we see the signing of your estate planning documents as just the beginning of our relationship with your family. And that’s how it should be because your life will change, your assets will change, and the law will change. Your plan needs to change along the way, as well.
Make Sure Your Plan Changes With Your Life, Your Assets and the Law
Over time, your assets will change, your family will change, the law will change and your life will change.
Your plan must accommodate all of these changes in order to make sure your plan works when your family needs it the most. If your plan is not properly updated over time, your documents become worthless - worth no more than the paper they were printed on. And the costs of failing to update are typically far greater than keeping your plan current.
In addition, we ensure your assets are owned in the right way throughout your lifetime. There are currently billions of dollars sitting in State Unclaimed Property depots and we never want to see a penny of your assets there. Or for your family to be stuck dealing with the Court when you’ve worked so diligently to make things as easy as possible. That’s why we prepare an Asset Inventory of your assets and keep it up to date year in and year out. So your loved ones can always locate what you own and how you own it, if and when necessary.
3 Year Plan Review Is Included
With each of our estate plans we include a no-charge three-year review to ensure that as your life changes, so does your estate plan and to confirm your assets are held properly for maximum protection.
Some of the Benefits Provided Under Our Membership Plans include:
ü Annual Plan Review with Unlimited Plan Amendments
ü Annual Priceless Conversations to transition your most important and most frequently lost family wealth- who you are and what’s most important to you
ü Substantial discount on our fees for advising your loved ones after you’re gone
ü Annual Review of Your Assets and Update of Your Asset Spreadsheet
ü And much more, including valuable membership enrollment bonuses.
For more information about our unique membership programs, please schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and let’s review what you own, who you love, and what would happen under your current plan, or the State’s plan for you.
More Than Just Your Money - Leaving a REAL Legacy
Leaving a Real Legacy – Who You Are & What’s Important to You
How We Guide You to Leave a Legacy That’s About Much More Than Just Your Money
After you are gone, your loved ones will miss you deeply. They will long for your words of counsel and concern. Hearing your voice again would be a tremendous gift.
Through our unique legacy process, you can give your loved ones the most precious gift - a lasting expression of your love. What could be more valuable?
At Schwartz Legacy Planning, LLC. we believe estate planning is not just about transferring your financial assets and personal belongings. It’s also about capturing and transferring your valuable intangible gifts: who you are and what's important to you – your values, insights, stories and experience.
Let Me Tell You a Story
Several years ago, my father died. When I discovered that he was sick, I remember thinking to myself that I should ask him to leave me a voicemail so that I could listen to it after he was gone. But, I didn't. I was too afraid to confront with him the possibility of his death. I did have a few text messages from him that I would look at after he passed, but eventually my phone purged them.
How I wish I still had that voicemail message. Or even better, that I had a recording of my dad telling me what he loved about me, what his hopes for me were, what life lessons were most important to him, what values he most wanted for me, or even just saying my nickname that he had always called me.
You Could Make a Recording, But Who Has Time?
When I was first in practice, I would tell my clients to record a message for their loved ones and put it in a safe place or simply write notes to their children letting them know how they felt about them. But so few people ever actually did it. We just get so caught up with the day to day of our lives that focusing in on leaving a legacy seems to take a back seat.
We realized we’d have to build this into our planning process and not make it just another thing you’ll get done someday. That’s why at Schwartz Legacy Planning, LLC. we make it part of our planning for every client to help you capture and pass on more than just your money: your intellectual, spiritual and human assets, who you are and what’s important to you.
We Help You Capture These Precious Moments
What Would It Be Worth?
Can you picture someone who’s passed away, someone you love and miss deeply? Can you recall a conversation you had with them? Can you remember the sound of their voice and what they told you? What if you could hear their voice again?
What if they could speak to you—heart to heart—and share their wisdom and advice? What would it be worth to you to hear their words one more time?
What is it worth to you to know that they’ll always know exactly how much you love them? It’s worth a lot to us and we are honored to be able to provide you and your family with this gift.
Planning For Your Children
If you are a parent of minor children (or those with special needs) who are counting on you, your estate plan must begin with ensuring your children would always be taken care of by the people you want, in the way you want, no matter what happens.
At Schwartz Legacy Planning, LLC. one of our areas of greatest expertise is in planning for the well-being and care of the children you love.
Without advance legal planning for the care of your children, if the unthinkable happens to you, here’s what could happen:
● Your children could be placed into the care of Child Protective Services (yes, even if you have a will in place and even if you have a living trust) and, yes, it would very likely only be temporary, but trust us, you never want your children in the arms of strangers. Not even for a minute.
● Your children could be put into the custody and care of someone you would never want, like that one family member who has good intentions, but you’d never want raising your kids.
● A judge who doesn’t know you, or your family, will decide who will raise your kids, even if it’s the last person you would ever want;
● Your family could get into a long, drawn out custody fight or there could be a challenge to the guardians you have designated;
● Up to 5% of the value of your assets could be lost to court costs and other unnecessary fees through the probate process, a court process that can tie up your assets for years and deprive your kids of the resources they need to live comfortably, which can totally be avoided with advance legal planning;
● When your kids turn 18, they get a check for whatever assets are left;
● There are unscrupulous people out there who make it their business to look at the public records to find out when 18 year olds are getting that inheritance check;
● The vast majority of estate planning attorneys do not address these issues, and do not plan from a parent’s perspective.
Yes, these things scare us too. That’s why we offer a Kids Protection Plan with every estate plan we do for families with young children.
What is a Kids Protection Plan®?
A Kids Protection Plan® is a set of instructions, legal documents and even an ID card for your wallet, which you need to have if you have kids at home who count on you for their well-being and care.
If you are in an accident, your Kids Protection Plan® will make sure your children are never taken into the custody of Child Protective Services, strangers or the care of anyone you wouldn’t want because the authorities don't have clear instructions from you. And your Kids Protection Plan® will ensure your children are raised by people you choose, not someone chosen by a Judge who doesn’t know you.
To get started with your Kids Protection Plan®, contact us.