Our Process
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Estate Planning Process
Before You Call
- Estate Planning is not a transactional event. It is a relationship. So learn more about us and how we operate before you call.
- Attend a live webinar or seminar or watch our webinar recording to learn more about Wills and Trusts so that you can ask more direct questions during your consultation.
- If you do not live and/or own real estate in Maryland or Washington, DC, we may not be able to assist you.
- We do not handle estate litigation!
Schedule a Consultation
- Call or text our office at 443-554-9944, use our Text Us! feature, or use our contact form.
- Ask and answer preliminary questions to determine if we are the right firm for you.
- Set a date and time for your first appointment with Raymond.
- We will send you an email confirming your appointment with a link to a preliminary questionnaire and a link to our webinar recording.
Before Our Meeting
- You should complete our preliminary questionnaire, which ask for a high-level summary of your personal and financial information. Raymond needs this information ahead of time to ensure you have a meaningful conversation about your goals.
- You should have also either attended a live Webinar or watched a pre-recorded event.
At Our First Meeting
- We will discuss your goals and assets.
- We will explore potential obstacles to achieving your goals.
- We will discuss your reasons for undertaking estate planning now, and we’ll talk over your family situation.
- If you choose to work with us, we will discuss the next steps, give you access to our secure client portal, and additional forms to fill out.
Your Homework
- Review and sign your contract with our firm, and pay your retainer for our services.
- Spend some time thinking through the complex decisions about choosing beneficiaries, guardians, health care and power of attorney agents, and trustees. You should also consider if you want to leave anything to charities. Complete our comprehensive Personal Information Form and upload it to our secure client portal.
- If you are creating a Trust, complete the Asset Inventory Packet and upload all related documents to our secure client portal.
Design and Asset Inventory
- We will review who you want in charge of your money and your health care if you are incapacitated.
- We will discuss who you want to get which of your assets.
- We will discuss what happens if the beneficiaries you have selected aren’t alive.
- We will discuss any conditions you want attached to your bequests and who will manage the assets in the meantime, if your beneficiary is unable to receive them.
- If you have a larger estate, we will discuss strategies for eliminating or reducing estate taxes.
- We will review the asset information you have provided to us.
- Set the date and time of your formal document signing.
Formal Document Signing
- If you are creating a Trust, we will provide you with a video describing how your plan works prior to this meeting.
- You will sign your documents in front of a witness and notary.
- If you have created a Trust, sign the deed to transfer your real estate into it.
- Congratulations! Your plan has been fully created and is in effect.
Funding Your Trust
- We are here every step of the way to assist you with fully funding your trust.
- You signed your deed for your real estate at your signing ceremony but we will provide you with any funding letters you require.
Lifetime Relationship
- Estate Planning is not a transactional event. It is a relationship.
- If the laws change and they affect your plan, we will let you know.
- We will keep you on our mailing list and send you our newsletters.
- We will provide Trustee School and Funding School for FREE so that your plan works exactly as you intend it to.
