While I believe the word "probate" has an unnecessarily negative connotation, I realize it has earned its bad reputation. If you  (or someone you know) has experienced probate litigation or a long, drawn-out process, you may be justified in having certain . . . feelings about the word.

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I don't think probate is evil. I simply think that in Kansas, we can make it unnecessary. Perhaps you've heard of the Rule of 5 P's: proper planning prevents poor performance. As a former operations manager, I adopt this rule wholeheartedly. But I also live by Murphy's Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. ​My goal for your estate--your financial life that lives on after you die--is to reduce the number of things that can go wrong by using proper planning. 

 

Most people picture assets and debts as two buckets. But your estate is actually three buckets! You have a bucket of debts--hopefully a small one--which may or may not need to be paid after you die. You have a bucket of probate assets, which are tangible and non-tangible assets that do not automatically transfer to others. (These might need the intervention of a probate court to initiate transfers.) You also have a bucket of non-probate assets. Those are tangible and non-tangible assets that transfer without the intervention of a court, whether by beneficiary designation, transfer-on- or pay-on-death, trust, or tangible personal property documents in a Will or trust. Our job (as I see it) is to fill that third bucket, and to empty that second bucket as much as possible. We want to prevent assets from shifting into the second bucket, and force them into the third bucket so that your loved ones can focus on celebrating you and your life!

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This is my approach to planning, whether we use a simple Will and detailed organization, or whether we use a trust. I also don't believe in charging people exorbitant prices to do something that exists for much less on the internet! I do my best to provide upfront, transparent pricing that can fit in your budget. You won't pay for excessive attorney overhead or be nickel-and-dimed at Murphy's Law LLC. But you will be taught the essentials, and you will receive guidance you cannot order on the internet from a third-party document service.  You can and will be involved in your own plan, and you will be responsible for carrying it out.

 

If you are still on the fence, I urge you to look around and compare. I am happy to provide an up-to-date pricing guide upon request.

                                                                                                                            -MMc