The Review Phase

Once your estate plan has been designed, you will start the Review Phase (not the step you are at? Click Here).

During the Review Phase, we will provide you with a plan summary that outlines the decisions you made with your attorney during the Design Phase and how they will be incorporated into your estate planning documents. After incorporating any changes and answering any questions, we will prepare your draft estate planning documents and provide those for review, typically with a video walking you through your documents and important information that you will need for the trust funding phase.

The puzzle that we have put together has come into focus at this point, and we are just completing the last few pieces…

  • We will provide you with a plan summary document that allows you to see how the decisions made during the Design Phase will be implemented throughout your estate planning documents. At this time we will ask you to carefully review this document, ask questions and promptly provide any changes you would like to make. It is much easier to incorporate these changes while the information is fresh in your mind from the Design Phase and before it is incorporated into your draft estate plan documents.

  • After answering your questions and incorporating changes to your plan summary, we will prepare drafts of your estate planning documents. At this stage you will see the decisions made during the Design Phase and summarized in your plan summary fully incorporated into the documents. We will also provide you with a review video, if appropriate, that walks you through these documents as well as key details you’ll need for the Trust Funding phase. At this time we will ask you to review these documents, ask any questions and provide any final changes as we prepare for your Review Appointment (where we can answer these questions) and then finally your Signing Appointment.

  • After you have reviewed your draft estate planning documents and watched your Review Video that walks through them, we’ll meet at your Review Appointment to answer any outstanding questions prior to your Signing Appointment. The Review Appointment is typically a short meeting with a paralegal familiar with your documents by Zoom.