A Story Based On 25,000+ Clients and 30+ Years of Law Office Trust Experience

Prologue: As the founding Attorney of Law Offices of Affordable Living Trusts, my firm has focused solely on living trusts and estate planning for over 30 years and served over 25,000 satisfied clients. Most importantly, when the time came, our trusts have passed the ultimate real world test of performing flawlessly for countless families. This is background, from which I tell you the following story, to help you better understand our trust-by-mail and why it works so well for so many.

80% of Clients Want a Trust That Leaves Their Estate Equally to Their Children

It all begins with something that has been a constant through 30+ years of law practice: Approximately 80%  of clients wish to leave their estate equally to their children (spouse first if married). This repeating fact pattern is the very key to understanding what makes our trust-by-mail a viable and well suited trust for so many and, most importantly for your family, if you are among the vast majority (80%) that wish to ultimately leave your estate equally to your children.

Every Law Office Has a Trust Written For The “80%”

To begin this journey you need to know that, in our law office, and in most every law office, there is a trust written exactly for this “80%.” Given that it represents the wishes of the vast majority of clients, having it as a centerpiece trust only makes sense.

The Right Trust Is The Right Trust, Regardless of How It Is Completed

Most importantly, for such situations (meaning the 80%), it is the right approach, the right trust, the right proven, time tested language, and the right documents. There is no better confirmation of this than watching countless of these trusts seamlessly pass such estates just as each family intended.

That is why our trust doesn’t vary when you complete it by mail.

Improving on the Concept by Re-Creating The In-Office Experience With Videos 

While we are very proud of the thoroughness of our in-office process (clients seldom have questions at the end), there is no getting around the fact that, by its nature, it is very repetitive. Put another way, we cover virtually the same ground, the same instructions, and give the same explanations over and over and over again – from asset titling, to the purpose and explanation of the Master Assignment, the Pour-Over

This gave rise to an obvious question. “Why not duplicate these same presentations, instructions and explanations in videos?” So we did exactly that, and more because it gave us the opportunity to be even more expansive, thorough, and detailed in our explanations.

We Made a Step-by-Step Walk-Through Of The Entire Trust Process Freely Available to Everyone

Our carefully written and professionally produced videos are freely available to everyone on our website. (Access the Videos Here >) They set forth virtually the same instructions, discussions, explanations, procedures, and guidance that you would be given sitting in and through the typical law office trust process – issues you need to go through, and know about, no matter how you complete your trust or how much you pay.

We honestly don’t believe you will find a more thorough, understandable, complete explanation, and walk through of the trust process anywhere. And, no matter how you end up completing your trust, by watching these videos, you will become more knowledgeable, better prepared, and much better equipped for the process – something our clients regularly confirm.

Why Pay For What You Can Learn For Free?

Our suggestion is, that before you do anything or make any decisions, watch the videos first and learn. (Access the Videos Here >). Each one averages around 3 minutes. Some of the obvious advantages to the videos are that you can do it at home, at your own pace, and according to your convenience and schedule. They can be watched as many times as you want, when you want, and even as a refresher later. Even if you completed your trust somewhere else, these videos provide vital information which you should know, or be reminded of, but may not have been adequately covered.

Best of all, they are free and require no commitment – a great benefit  in a time when so many express dissatisfaction about the high cost of legal services.

Why forego the opportunity to easily learn for free what you would otherwise have to pay for? Put another way, why pay a law office to repeat virtually the same explanations you can watch for free on a video on your own schedule? Wouldn’t you rather keep the $500 (tax free) an hour, or more, rather than potentially needlessly paying a law office? Remember, you can always pay a lawyer later, if you really want to or need to.

So again, our suggestion is, before you do anything else, first watch the videos and learn!  (Access the Videos Here >)

Why The Requirement of Equally to Children (Spouse First, then Children, if Married)

As stated before, to qualify for our trust-by-mail, you must be among the approximately 80% that wish to leave their estate equally to their children (spouse first, then children, if married). Please understand, we’re not trying to be arbitrary with this rule. It’s just that trusts that stray from the aforementioned theme consume greater attorney time, require more interactive discussion, additional documentation, drafting, and paperwork. Thus, such trusts are more appropriately handled in-office.

As for the 80% of you leaving your estate to your children, it is doubtful you’ll get a more applicable, comprehensive or better working trust than our trust-by-mail.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. Tidbits

Did You Know That:

• Without a trust, a young person would take full control of an inheritance the moment they turn 18.
• As long as you don’t implement your own estate plan, your signature is on the one the state has written for you (giving an 18 year old full control). Most often, this also entails full probate.
• Trusts are rarely held invalid.
• The value of a trust isn’t determined by how much it costs, but rather how successfully and easily it passes an estate.
• A $10,000 trust isn’t worth any more more than a $1 trust that successfully passes an estate.
• Flashy terms, fancy names, high prices, and “scare tactics” don’t make for a better trust.
• A trust that doesn’t get done is likely the worst result of all.