Estate Plan Checkup
Not Sure How to Update Your Estate Plan?
Get professional guidance before spending money on a full review, updates, or a new estate plan.
For a $250 flat fee, Attorney Kyle Rhodes will perform a high-level review of your existing estate plan, and provide guidance regarding the most appropriate next step for your circumstances.
Updating an Estate Plan Can Be
Surprisingly Challenging
Many people think they need a simple change to their estate plan, but they run into roadblocks such as:
- Their attorney is no longer practicing
- Their documents were created online, and it's not clear how to update them
- They've moved and their previous attorney is not licensed in Texas
- They no longer have a relationship with the attorney who created the plan
- Other attorneys may be reluctant to update documents they didn't draft
It shouldn't be so difficult to make a simple change to your estate plan.
Sometimes it isn't.
But changes that appear simple on the surface often affect other parts of the plan in ways that aren't immediately obvious.
Estate planning involves more than a few legal documents. Your family, financial situation, and goals are unique. Documents that work well for one family may be ineffective—or create unintended consequences—for another.
The challenge is that updating an estate plan often requires more information gathering, analysis, and discussion than most people expect.
Get Clear Guidance Before Moving Forward
The Estate Plan Checkup is designed to help you understand the most appropriate path forward before committing to additional legal work.
Rather than assuming what changes are needed, we take the time to understand your goals, evaluate your current situation, and perform a high-level assessment of your existing plan.
Just to be clear, this is not a comprehensive legal review of every provision in your documents. That level of analysis can be time-consuming and expensive, and in many cases it isn't necessary to determine the most appropriate next step.
Instead, the focus is on:
- Understanding your family, financial situation, goals and recent life changes
- Getting a general sense of whether your current plan still appears to fit your situation
- Identifying obvious issues or areas that may deserve closer attention
- Determining whether the changes you're considering are truly simple or may require a more comprehensive approach
- Helping you understand your available options and the pros and cons of each
Whether your situation calls for a simple update, a more comprehensive review, or a different approach altogether, you'll have the information you need to make an informed decision and move forward with confidence.
How It Works
1. Complete Your Estate Planning Profile & Upload Your Existing Documents
Tell us about your family, goals, concerns, and current situation. You'll also provide copies of your existing estate planning documents so we can perform a high-level evaluation before the Checkup Call.
2. Attend Your Estate Plan Checkup Call
Attorney Kyle Rhodes will discuss major observations, potential concerns, and planning considerations with you.
3. Receive Your Estate Plan Checkup Findings
You'll receive a written summary of our major observations, potential concerns, and recommended next steps so you can review your options and decide how you'd like to move forward.
This May Be a Good Fit If Any of These Apply:
- You already have an estate plan and believe changes may be needed
- You've recently moved to Texas and your current plan was created in another state
- Your previous attorney has retired or you've lost touch
- Your family, finances, or goals have changed since creating your plan
- You created documents without an attorney and aren't sure they'll accomplish what you intended
- You want to know what your options are and the pros and cons of each
- You want an unbiased opinion on the best next step to take
Move Forward with Confidence
Before investing in amendments, updates, a full in-depth review, or a new estate plan, gain clarity about the most appropriate path forward.
$250 Flat Fee
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is included in the Estate Plan Checkup?
The Estate Plan Checkup includes a high-level evaluation of your current estate plan, a discussion of your goals and concerns, and professional guidance regarding the most appropriate next step for your situation.
You'll leave with a better understanding of whether your current plan appears sufficient, whether updates may be needed, and what options are available moving forward.
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Is the Estate Plan Checkup a comprehensive legal review of my documents?
No. The Estate Plan Checkup is a high-level evaluation designed to help determine whether concerns exist, whether changes may be needed, and what next step may be appropriate. A comprehensive legal review involves a much more detailed analysis of the documents themselves.
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Do I need an Estate Plan Checkup if I already have a will or trust?
Possibly.
Many people have estate planning documents but aren't sure whether those documents still reflect their wishes, are coordinated with their assets, or are likely to work as intended given their current circumstances.
The Estate Plan Checkup is designed specifically for people who already have a plan but want professional guidance before making changes.
If you have old documents and you know you want to start over fresh, then you can skip an Estate Plan Checkup and get a Personalized Estate Planning Strategy instead.
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Will you tell me exactly what changes I need to make?
Not necessarily.
The purpose of the Checkup is to help determine the most appropriate next step. In some cases, a simple update may be sufficient. In others, a more comprehensive review or a new plan may make more sense.
The specific recommendations depend on your documents, goals, and circumstances.
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What documents should I provide?
Once you purchase a Checkup, you will be given access to your Estate Planning Profile. As part of the profile, we will ask you to upload readable digital copies of your signed estate planning documents, including any wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, amendments, or related documents you would like us to evaluate.
If you do not have digital copies, many office supply stores and shipping centers can scan documents and provide electronic copies. (PDF format is preferred)
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What if my documents were prepared by another attorney?
That's perfectly fine.
The Estate Plan Checkup is designed for people who already have estate planning documents, regardless of who prepared them.
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What if my documents were created online?
That's fine as well.
Many people use online services such as LegalZoom, Trust & Will, or other document preparation services. The purpose of the Checkup is not to criticize how your documents were created but to help you better understand your current situation and available options.
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Will you evaluate an estate plan prepared by another attorney in another state?
Yes, if you are now a Texas resident.
If you have moved to Texas since your documents were created, part of the discussion will likely involve whether your existing plan remains appropriate under Texas law and whether any updates should be considered.
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Will I be pressured to hire your firm afterward?
No. The purpose of the Estate Plan Checkup is to provide professional guidance regarding your situation.
If additional services appear appropriate, those options will be discussed. If no additional services are needed, we'll tell you that as well.
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What happens after the Checkup?
After evaluating your plan, family, assets, and goals, we will discuss the options that appear most appropriate for your situation.
Depending on your circumstances, that could include maintaining your current plan, making limited updates, pursuing a more comprehensive review, or creating a new estate plan.
Have Additional Questions?
If you're not sure where to start or would like help determining the best next step, contact us.