Estate Planning Pricing

At Learned Lawyer PLLC, we aim to provide our clients maximum peace of mind. Thus, we believe our pricing should be transparent and clear. For estate planning, we charge flat, all-inclusive fees for most clients, so that you can know what your estate plan will cost even before your first meeting. If you aren’t sure which plan best suits you, we will help you make that determination before any work begins.

Package 1 – Basic Will-based Plan

Cost: $1,175 single/$1,325 couple

About: This package includes advice and recommendations from attorney Scott Learned, and will result in the creation of custom Wills, Living Wills and Healthcare Powers of Attorney, and Financial Powers of Attorney.

Pros:

• Designates someone to wrap up your affairs after death
• Designates who will inherit your property
• Provides guidance to family about end-of-life wishes
• Appoints loved ones to act on your behalf for medical and financial decisions

Cons:

• Requires loved ones to go through the probate court process
• Does not protect children who are not ready to inherit whether due to disability, age, addiction issues, or other concerns
• Can result in your inheritance being squandered or allowing a loved one to engage in self-destructive behaviors like the “lottery winner” syndrome
• Provides little protection in the event of a period of disability

Package 2 – Will-based Plan with Testamentary Trust

Cost: $2,100 single/$2,300 couple

About: This package is similar to Package 1, except it leaves your property in trust to your beneficiaries, rather than an outright gift. Thus, you get to control when and how your children inherit from you, even in the event of your death. This protects the inheritance from beneficiaries who would not be ready to receive that inheritance for some reason. However, this plan still requires the use of the probate process

Pros:

• Designates someone to wrap up your affairs after death
• Designates who will inherit your property
• Provides guidance to family about end-of-life wishes
• Appoints loved ones to act on your behalf for medical and financial decisions
• Provides protections for children who are not ready to receive an inheritance due to age, immaturity, addiction concerns, or other issues

Cons:

• Requires loved ones to go through the probate court process
• Provides little protection in the event of a period of disability

Package 3 – Simple Trust-based Plan – MOST COMMON

Cost: $2,550 single/$2,850 couple

About: This package includes everything contained in Package 1, plus a custom-designed Revocable Living Trust and (if you have minor kids) a Temporary Guardianship Agreement. The package includes all advice and drafting costs, as well as funding assistance with your primary residence and other non-real estate assets, including bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts.

Pros: In addition to the benefits of Package 1:

• Avoids the probate court process, saving thousands in court costs and fees
• Provides protections for children who are not ready to receive an inheritance due to age, immaturity, addiction concerns, or other issues
• Helps provide guidance to loved ones to make intelligent decisions with their inheritance
• Provides protection for you in the event you become mentally disabled without the need for court intervention

Cons:

• Cannot address complicated family structures, like some blended families
• Not suited for families of significant wealth
• Not suited for families with complicated assets, such as small business owners
• Not suited for families with complicated distribution plans, such as plans involving multiple sub-trusts

Package 4 – Advanced Trust-based Plan

Cost: starting at $3,500 single/$4,100 couple

About: This package includes everything contained in Package 3, plus any additional advanced estate planning documents. Examples include Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts, Special Needs Trusts, Qualified Personal Residence Trusts, Buy-Sell Agreements, Family Limited Partnership, and Family LLCs. In addition, this package includes advanced revocable living trust planning to address the unique needs – and potential for conflict – inherent in some blended families. Finally, this package can address complicated distribution plans, or advanced tax planning needs.

Other Services

Probate Avoidance Deed ($230)

For some couples, it may be possible to avoid probate at the first spouse’s death using a specialized deed for your real property.

Additional Deeds ($230)

Packages 3 and 4 including the transfer of your primary residence into your trust. If you own more real estate, there will be an additional fee for each Idaho property beyond your primary residence. Property held out-of-state will need to be transferred to your trust by a lawyer in the state where the property is located.

Single-Member LLCs ($525)

For clients with businesses, including rental properties, we will establish a single-member LLC as part of an estate planning package. This fee includes your registration fee to the Idaho Secretary of State. We can also establish multi-member LLCs if needed – the charge depends on the complexity.