Louisiana Estate Planning Made Easy
Let’s face it, estate planning is complicated.
As a Louisiana estate planning attorney, it’s my goal to design plans that are as effective as they are understandable.
When I started law school at LSU, I still had a number of friends who were finishing up their undergraduate degrees.
On the Sunday before law school started, some friends invited me to go out to our favorite bar for one last hoorah. I was excited to join in on some last-minute fun before the official commencement of law school.
So, even though I had a little bit of work to finish up before class the next day, I agreed to meet up with everyone later that evening at the Gator Bar.
For those of you unfamiliar, the Gator Bar was this dive bar In Ascension Parish that had dollar bills marked up with Sharpies all over the walls and ceiling. You had to go down a dirt road to get there. It was a total dive.
Once you finally made it, you danced the night away to oldies-but-goodies like “Fire” by the Pointer Sisters.
It was open until 2 am on Sundays, unlike every other bar in East Baton Rouge Parish, which closed at a very uncool 12 am.
This is the type of bar I loved the most, and I was excited to go.
The plan for the night was to knock out a reading assignment and then head out to meet up with everyone.
I figured this pre-law-school assignment would be pretty straightforward, since we hadn’t actually, you know, started law school. Completing this assignment was the last on my to-do list, it’s completion would finalize my preparation for my first law school class.
“It’s only 20 pages, so how hard could it be?” I thought in my final moments of naivety. “Easy-peasy, right?” (Wrong!)
In my mind, I was going to be heading down that dirt road and onto the dance floor in no time at all.
I sat down to read the assignment, already tapping my foot, and getting into the Gator Bar spirit. I started reading the first few lines and instantly realized that I didn’t understand any of it.
It was written in English, but it felt like I was reading a foreign language. I went line by excruciating line, absolutely dumbfounded.
As Shakespeare’s once said: it was all greek to me.
Obviously, I could read the words on the page, but I had no idea what any of this stuff meant.
It had become very clear why Black’s Law Dictionary was required for the course. I think I stopped every three or four words to look things up and cross-reference. Line by line. For 20 pages.
Not only did that reading assignment take me over 3 hours to complete, but it was also completely disheartening.
I never made it to Gator bar that night.
By the time I finished the reading, I knew I was way too far behind my friends who had been at the bar the whole evening. But, I was also exhausted from the mental gymnastics I’d just experienced. I was certainly scared for what was to come.
If this was one assignment for one class, what would the rest of the semester look like? Is this what law school as a whole was going to be like?
Need to ask specific questions about your situation? I’m here for you.
My struggle with this assignment, and many more to come, wasn’t because I was stupid.
Although thinking that I could knock out this assignment and head to the bar, probably wasn’t my most well-informed decision.
The real reason why I struggled so much with this assignment was that the terms were unfamiliar.
I kept having to stop to look up what words meant, then go back and read until I found another term I didn’t understand. Then, I’d lose my train of thought and have to start over again.
This was not how I was used to working. This was not how I was expecting this to go.
I had so much to learn!
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Thinking about this story got me thinking about my estate planning clients.
More specifically, how do my clients feel during the estate planning process?
When people start looking into estate planning, are they asking themselves, “what am I getting myself into here?”
When I send them their estate planning documents to review, do they just feel overwhelmed and dejected?
When my clients think about making a personal financial inventory, for instance, do they feel in over their heads?
Does the entire estate planning process feel like mental gymnastics?
From the beginning of my estate planning practice, I feel cautious and empathic when I send documents for clients to review.
I know it’s not easy for those who haven’t studied estate planning in Louisiana to wrap their heads around everything written in these documents.
I know it’s a reach for anyone who didn’t go to law school to thoroughly analyze and understand all the components of an estate plan.
After all, that’s why my clients hire me, right?
I went to law school.
I understand the ins and outs of estate planning in Louisiana.
Understanding these documents is my job.
This will always be the case. But it’s still important that my clients feel comfortable and confident with the decisions they’re making.
It’s vital they get it.
Plan Today for Peace of Mind Tomorrow
One of my biggest goals as an estate planning lawyer is to make sure that my clients understand what they are signing.
I want them to comprehend the design of their estate plan. I want them to truly get the strategy of their estate plan, enough to be able to discuss it with their loved ones.
I don’t expect them to know it well enough to write a dissertation on it. That’s my job, after all. But I want my clients to feel ownership over these documents. I want them to feel confident in their decisions.
The dissertation-level grasp and in-depth knowledge of Louisana estate planning is my job. That’s why I’m there.
I believe that if I’ve designed an estate plan that is too complex for a client to understand, then I haven’t done my job well. Period.
I’ve been thinking about ways to make estate planning more accessible and easier for clients to readily grasp.
When I worked in New York, we would distill multi-million dollar transactions down into slides to help our clients understand what we were doing.
That experience has inspired me to use technology to create presentations that are as easy for my clients to understand as they possibly can be.
I record personalized videos where I go over the estate planning documents for each client.
Typically in these videos, I put the documents up on my screen and walk the client through the document. I think that helps. I feel like I am able to convey the essence of the documents.
Additionally, these videos can be saved, reviewed multiple times, paused, slowed down/sped up, and shared with others.
2. The latest addition to my estate planning tech workflow is the use of flowcharts and slide presentations to help visually illustrate estate plans.
I believe a picture is worth way more than a thousand estate planning words. So, I put together a visual representation of how their estate plan will operate upon their passing.
Of course, I record a video to accompany these flowcharts, just to make sure everyone is on the same page.
3. I have a FAQ database built into my website that can be easily accessed by my clients. It’s like the Addie version of Black’s law dictionary.
In the final estate planning paperwork I submit to my clients, I add links to terms that are important to the meaning of the document.
So, if we’re working on a trust. They’ll be able to click the word trust to get a simple definition before moving on with the rest of the document.
I also add FAQ sections to each of my blog posts. Check the latest one out at the bottom of this post.
4. Strategy sessions are done virtually either via Zoom or Google Meet.
These programs make it easy to record our meetings, which can help clients process the information at their own pace.
During our virtual meetings, I present information as clearly as possible. I also answer questions and run through scenarios that I think will be helpful to you.
You can schedule a strategy session today, no matter which stage of the estate planning process you’re in.
5. I work collaboratively with other lawyers, freelancers, and business coaches to implement technology in a simple and approachable way.
I make sure my systems are created with the main goal of making estate plans as easy to understand as possible.
I want any tech I use to feel smooth and efficient. Everything is set up to make sure my clients feel confident and as stress-free as possible.
I want my website to be a fountain of information for anyone seeking estate planning services in Louisiana.
If you have any questions or suggestions for future blog posts, you can always reach out to me at info@addieprewittlaw.com. I look forward to hearing your ideas!
It’s always a good time to plan for your family’s future.
I’m excited to roll out these updates to my clients.
So far, I’ve received positive feedback and hope to continue making improvements that feel good for my estate planning clients.
Not only do I want my clients to be informed based on the information that I am giving them, but I want them to feel empowered that they have participated in this process and have come up with a plan that works best for them and their families.
I write this content in hopes of making estate planning as approachable as possible.
You shouldn’t have to spend hours on Youtube or Googling answers to important estate planning terminology.
You shouldn’t be scared off by legal jargon and deterred from making really important decisions because it feels too daunting.
The fact of the matter is that a lot of folks don’t ever get around to creating their estate plan because it gives them a headache just thinking about it.
I totally get it. And, I’m here for you.
I think a major benefit from working with me (or any decent estate planning attorney), is that you get help sifting through many aspects of your life that you don’t often slow down long enough to review.
Even if you have a grasp on the logistics of estate planning in Louisiana, working with an estate planning lawyer can help you complete the process in the most effective way possible.
Book a strategy session with me, and we’ll break this daunting process down into simple steps. Once we get all of your documents together, you’ll receive materials that help you visualize the way you’re estate plan will actually operate when the time comes.
I can’t promise that working with me will be as fun as going to the Gator Bar as an undergrad. But I can promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you understand and feel confident about the decisions you make concerning your family’s future.
Happy Planning!
Take Care,
Addie
Are you ready to create an estate plan that’s right for you?
FAQ
Q: Will you be able to give me legal advice during a strategy session?
A: Yes! Booking a strategy session means that we will be able to discuss your situation specifically. Please note that scheduling a strategy session does not automatically make you a client of Addie Prewitt Law.
Once we’ve completed the 60-minute strategy session, I will send you a proposal for my estate planning services. This document will include pricing information, a review of our conversation, and any other specifics that we discussed in the meeting.
Please note that any content shared outside of the one-on-one strategy session and our lawyer-client relationship is not legal advice. This blog post and any other blog post or informative content are tools of general information and are not legal advice.
If you’re looking for specific feedback on your situation, I highly recommend scheduling a 60-minute strategy session with me. You can find out more information and book yours here.
Q: Do you have estate planning book recommendations?
A: Yes! Here is the list of recommended reading for the Estate Planning Book Club.
When Someone Dies by Scott Taylor Smith with Michael Castleman
Living Trusts for Everyone by Ronald Farrington Sharp
Estate Planning in Louisiana by Paul Rabalais
Get Your Ducks in a Row: The Baby Boomers Guide to Estate Planning by Harry S. Margolis
Managing a Special Needs Trust: A Guide for Trustees by Barbara Jackins, Richard S. Blank, Ken W. Shulman
Get it Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To by Melanie Cullen and Shae Irving J.D.
Q: Which documents will I likely need to create a complete estate plan?
A: It can vary from client to client, but generally, folks looking to make an estate plan can count on needing some, if not all, of the following documents:
Last will and testament
Living trust
Beneficiary designations
Financial power of attorney
Advance healthcare directive/healthcare power of attorney
Insurance policies (health, life, car, home, etc.)
Titles and property deeds (car, home, boat, rental property)
Proof of identity (social security card, prenup agreement, birth/marriage/divorce certificates, etc)
Digital logins and passwords (yes, all of them)
Funerary instructions (although I believe these should be given directly to your loved ones prior to your death.)
Take a look behind the legal curtain.
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Take a deeper dive into Lousiana estate planning with more posts by Addie Prewitt Law:
Regardless of what you already have in place (or not), if you don’t already have a power of attorney set up, then that should be your next step.
This is an often overlooked and misunderstood document that could save you and your loved ones a lot of stress when life serves up it’s favorite dish: the unexpected.
A quite note before we get started: a power of attorney document is not exclusively for estate planning. However, a successful estate plan always includes a power of attorney.