The Law Office of Kelly T. Braun, PLLC
Estate Planning & Counseling
248-581-4425 | kelly@ktbraunlaw.com
Welcome! I appreciate the opportunity to help.
Thank you for scheduling an appointment for an initial estate planning consultation. I look forward to getting to know about you, your family, and what you want to gain by creating an estate plan, or revising an existing one. Please do no hesitate to contact me if you have any questions prior to our meeting.
Initial Consultation Meeting
I set aside one (1) hour for our initial consultation meeting. During that time we will discuss your family, finances and planning goals. It is important that you come prepared with a completed “Estate Planning Questionnaire” which was provided to you in advance of the meeting, along with any prior executed estate planning documents that you may have.
The purpose of this meeting is to fully understand you and your family on both a personal and financial level so that I can make appropriate recommendations customized to fully meet your needs, goals and values.
During this initial meeting I welcome an open discussion with you. It is a time for you to ask any questions. I want you to be fully comfortable with and understand the planning recommendations. Estate planning can be overwhelming, so I strive to make the process as stress-free as possible. I look to design a complete estate plan with the following key factors in mind:
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Avoid Court
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Creditor Protection
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Needs of minor children and/or disable child or family member
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Ease of estate administration
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Elimination of potential family conflict
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Financial and medical protection in the event of illness or injury
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Tax minimization (both federal and state)
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Instruction and guidance to family members and loved ones
After the initial meeting, if you are interested in moving forward, you will be presented with a Retainer/Engagement Letter (that includes the flat fee), and we will discuss the “next steps” for document preparation, review and signing. I will schedule the follow-up Signing Meeting at that time which is approximately 3 to 5 weeks after the Initial Meeting.
After the Initial Meeting
Once you have signed the engagement letter and retained me to proceed with your estate plann, I will begin drafting the documents in your plan. If not already scheduled, I will schedule the follow-up Signing Meeting. As follow-up to the Initial Meeting, you may be provided with a list of items to complete and/or additional information to provide to me so that I can complete your documents. If you have any questions during this time, contact me and I will be happy to answer them for you.
If you are working with a financial advisor, you may want to discuss your plan with him or her to ensure that the legal plan is in line with the financial plan either in place or in progress. Additionally, if part of the estate plan includes retitling of assets or changing beneficiary designations, I will work with you after the Signing Meeting to ensure these changes are made.
Signing Meeting
At the Signing Meeting, we will go over your documents in detail, make changes (if any) and execute your final documents. All necessary witnesses and a notary will be provided. Please allot approximately 1 hour to 1 ½ hours for the Signing Meeting.
**Please bring proper identification such as a driver’s license and/or passport to this meeting as it will be necessary for the notary.
At the conclusion of the meting, you will leave with a fully executed estate planning package, and we will retain copies of your signed documents in our file also. We will discuss various options for storing your documents for safe-keeping and instructions for whom to provide copies to.
Post-Signing
If you have documents that require a signature (for example the agent named in your healthcare power of attorney), you should get that taken care of right away. Also, if you have any re-titling of assets or beneficiary designation changes were to be completed as part of the estate planning process, I will follow-up with you to ensure that these trailing items are completed.
Our relationship does not end at this point. I will reach out to you periodically, host seminars and educational events and when new developments or “hot topics” occur in estate planning. Additionally, remember to review your estate plan every 3-5 years. It is especially important to review your documents, and the overall plan, anytime there is a major life event such as birth, death, divorce, family health issue or change in your family or financial situation.
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Copyright © 2019, Kelly T Braun, Attorney at Law ktbraunlaw.com
Law Office of Kelly T Braun
Rochester Hills MI
248-581-4425
Fees & Payments
Often prospective clients wish to know the fees before the initial meeting. This is a difficult question to answer before we have meet to discuss your personal situation and goals. While the vast majority of my estate planning work is done on a flat fee basis, I must take into consideration the level of complexity and the amount of time it will take to implement the plan before providing you with a cost. Therefore, at the conclusion of our initial meeting, I will provide you with the fee for your proposed plan.
To retaining my firm, I typically collect half of the quote fee upon signing of the Retainer/Engagement Letter and the balance at the final Signing Meeting.
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Timeline
START OF ESTATE PLANNING PROCESS
Initial Consultation
Engagement Letter Signed and Deposit Paid
DRAFTING PROCESS
Provide "missing" information and finalize decisions
Finalize documents
3 to 5 WEEKS AFTER INITIAL CONSULATION
Final Document Review & Signing Meeting
Send Deed for Recording; Obtain Beneficiary Forms
AFTER THE SIGNING MEETING
Confirm assets are retitled properly, beneficiary designation changes are completed and deeds recorded.
Check "Estate Plan" off your to-do list!
Call or email with any questions.