Planning for the Ones You Love
Our process begins with a Life & Legacy 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.
All of our plans are based on a flat fee, agreed upon in advance. We do not bill hourly, so that you do not have to worry about calling your attorney with an important question, and there are no hidden fees.
After the initial meeting, you will likely meet with us at least twice more. The process will be explained in detail, and as it pertains to your particular situation, at your initial meeting.
This meeting can be in person in Juneau or virtually if you are anywhere else in Alaska, or have assets in Alaska.
We look forward to meeting you!
Three Levels of Planning
Estate planning at Liz Smith Law 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.
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 business owners seeking ways to protect and expand their companies and considering how and when to transition to the next generation of ownership
- estate executors and beneficiaries navigating the court process of probate administration
- 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.