Estate planning fees can be categorized into document preparation, consultation and advice, filing and transfer fees, and ongoing fees for service providers. Fees increase with the number of people involved and the complexity of the estate. Wealthy clients may also incur fees for trusts and business entities. Ongoing involvement of third parties, such as professional trustees, also adds to the cost.
Estate planning fees paid to attorneys, officials, and service providers can be classified into four categories. The most basic types of fees are for document preparation. People with significant assets will likely pay consultation fees for planning and advice. Certain types of documents may include filing or transfer fees or other payments to officials to record documents or reorganize assets. Finally, in some cases, ongoing fees are paid to service providers to handle matters that are settled as part of the estate planning process.
People who seek the help of an estate planning attorney are individuals, couples, or part of a family; The more people involved in the process and whose interests need to be considered, the higher the fees for services. People tend to incur the least amount of estate planning fees. Often people only need document preparation services from an attorney, such as preparation of a basic will, financial power of attorney, and medical power of attorney with living will provisions. In many cases, law firms set a fixed fee for document preparation services that includes a basic consultation and paperwork.
Couples or married couples and families with young children tend to need more than basic document preparation. Their estate planning fees tend to include fees for consultation, advice, and planning. This is often necessary because the attorney must evaluate each client’s specific circumstances to determine the best way to carry out the client’s wishes. The involvement of beneficiaries who need to be properly cared for after death makes private consultation necessary to ensure that all issues are covered.
Clients with assets that exceed the legal limits for state estate tax assessment will also incur estate planning fees for document preparation and consultation, advice and planning. These types of clients are also likely to generate a third category of estate planning fees for filings, title transfers, and registrations. Wealthy clients often want to avoid probate by disposing of assets during the client’s lifetime through the use of trusts and certain types of business entities. In this case, the attorney would be tasked with preparing trust instruments, transferring assets, and registering entities, and the client would pay the fees involved.
Estate planning may involve the creation of entities, such as trusts, that require the ongoing involvement of a third party. For example, a person who establishes an irrevocable trust for her children must designate an administrator. Sometimes people hire professional trustees to manage the trust or set up the trust through a bank that manages the money and handles distributions based on the trustee’s instructions. Third parties charge a fee for this type of ongoing service which is considered part of the estate planning process.
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