The Estate Planning Process
I'm glad that you are here and you're interested in learning more about the process of developing an estate plan. Instead of doing the traditional introductory consult where I share a little bit about myself and the practice and what we do and what that looks like, I decided to shoot this video for you so that way you can enjoy it from the comfort of your home. 

You don't have to come into the office and you get all the information that you need to help you make an informed decision on what your next steps will be. 

So in this video, I want to share with you a little bit about who I am and my law practice. I'll also let you know who I serve and what to expect when we have an estate planning strategy session. 

I will do my best to answer the questions you may have, including questions about the fees and how that process works. Finally, I will share how to schedule your estate planning strategy session if moving forward is something you would like to do. 

You can watch the video below.  
If you would like to schedule an estate planning strategy session, you can click here.

Can I Write My Own Will in Tennessee?
Can I write my own will in Tennessee? That's a question I get a lot in my estate planning 101 workshops that I've been hosting for over a decade. I have heard this question so many times, and it's a fair question. 

With rising gas prices and food prices, everything seems to be getting more and more expensive. We're all looking for ways we can trim costs. So is estate planning one of those areas? With the rise of AI tools and all these legal form generators, is that a good idea? Well, the question I think that we should be asking is not, can I write my own will in Tennessee, but should I write my own will if I'm living in Tennessee?

 And there's a difference. Just like my parents told me as a child, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Maybe you've had that experience when you are painting a room and you decide I'm going to do it myself and then it all goes wrong. Sometimes there are areas where we just need to call a professional in. And in my opinion, estate planning is one of those areas. 

Now I know what you're probably thinking and it's what I tell all of my attendees at my workshops. I know you're thinking, of course Natasha, you're a lawyer. You want to make the most money possible. So you're going to tell me that I need to go to you to get an estate plan. But here's my response. If I wanted to make as much money as possible, I would tell everyone to go and write their own wills.

You want to know why? Because I make way more money fixing your mistakes. 
That is right. Some of the most complicated, messy estates that I have administered in my over 20 year career in this area are estates where people wrote their own wills.

I go into more detail about the potential issues that may arise from choosing to try to just do things on your own in the video below.

If you would like to schedule an estate planning strategy session, you can click here to learn about the estate planning strategy process.

You can book a time on that page. I would love to serve you.

Is My Out-Of-State Will Or Estate Plan Valid In The State Of Tennessee? 
I've gotten a lot of clients who are new to the state of Tennessee and want to know if their will or trust that was executed in California, New York, Illinois, Florida, etc. valid in the state of Tennessee? And here's the answer. Probably. 

I couldn't say for sure yes or no, but what I can tell you is in the state of Tennessee we do recognize other states' estate planning documents so long as they meet certain guidelines. 

So there's a very good chance that if you have a well-drafted will or trust from another state, it will be fine here in Tennessee. Here's the thing that I will tell you though. When you move to another state, that is one of those life transitions that call for a little checkup of your estate plan. 

Just like when there are births, deaths, divorces, relocations are another one of those life transitions that warrant a look at what you have currently in your estate plan. Do the things that are in the document accurately reflect your current wishes? And here's the great news. Even if there are some changes that need to be made, you can usually do that with very simple documents.

You can watch the video below for a more details.
If you would like to schedule an estate planning strategy session, so that I can help you review your out-of-state estate planning documents, you can click here to learn about the estate planning strategy process.

You can book a time on that page. I would love to serve you.
Do You Need a Living Trust in Tennessee? 
Does everybody in Tennessee need a living trust? Today, I'm going to answer that question.

I have a lot of clients who come to me, and a lot of people who know I'm an estate planning attorney, and they are all asking for living trusts because they've been told by a friend or by a neighbor that they absolutely need a living trust. Is that true? Do we all need living trusts? The answer may surprise you.

But first, let's go to a little bit of a backstory about why I think this is happening and why everyone feels like they need a living trust. A lot of people are coming to our beautiful state from places like California, a place where having a living trust is a very, very necessary tool.

Why? Because in California, it's my understanding that the attorney gets paid a percentage of the value of the probate estate. So, for example, if a home is worth $20 million, an attorney will get a percentage of the estate for handling that estate, even though just a single house does not make for a very complex probate process.

That's not how it is in Tennessee. In Tennessee, lawyers are not paid based on the value of the estate. So doing that to avoid probate, or doing a living trust to avoid probate in Tennessee just for the sake of avoiding probate, doesn't make sense.

You're not comparing apples to apples. California and Tennessee are very different in the probate process, cost, and length. So I would say that not everyone needs a living trust.

Can living trusts be helpful? Absolutely. If you are someone with assets in a variety of states, if you've got a home in Tennessee, and you've still got one, let's say, in Arizona or down in Florida, then absolutely, you're going to want to have a living trust in most circumstances so that you can avoid having to have multiple probates.

You can watch the video below to learn more.
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Office Phone: (615) 282-7234