Our Estate Planning Process

Creating an effective estate plan involves far more than simply signing legal documents. Every family is different, and every estate plan should be too.

An effective estate plan should be thoughtfully tailored to your unique assets, family dynamics, goals, and concerns—not built around a one-size-fits-all approach.

Many estate plans fail not because the documents are missing, but because the planning was never fully implemented. A will, trust, or power of attorney is only part of the process. Equally important is ensuring that your assets are properly titled, beneficiary designations are coordinated, and your plan is thoughtfully implemented so that it accomplishes your family’s goals.

My role is not simply to prepare legal documents. It is to guide you through the important legal and personal decisions that shape your family’s future, then thoughtfully design, coordinate, and advise you on implementing a plan that works in practice—not just on paper.

This process is designed to guide you step-by-step from our initial conversation through the implementation of your estate plan. Along the way, you’ll gain a clear understanding of your options, make informed decisions with confidence, and leave with a coordinated plan designed to protect the people you love.

After scheduling your introductory call, you should have received:

  • This Estate Planning Process Overview (this document)
  • A summary of the available estate planning packages and pricing

The available planning options range from straightforward will-based planning to comprehensive trust-based planning, allowing you to choose the approach that best aligns with your family’s goals, priorities, and budget.

Introductory Call

20–30 Minutes

  • The Conversation
    Every estate plan begins with a conversation. During this introductory phone or video call, we’ll discuss your goals, answer your initial questions, explain how the planning process works, and determine whether we’re the right fit to work together.
  • Planning Options
    We’ll also discuss the available planning options, review pricing, and help you understand what to expect throughout the process.
  • Choosing Your Path
    Some clients know exactly which planning package they want after this conversation and are ready to move forward immediately. Others prefer a more in-depth discussion before making that decision. Either approach is perfectly appropriate.
  • Questionnaire & Preparation
    Following our conversation, you’ll receive a confidential Estate Planning Questionnaire. The questionnaire allows me to learn about your family, assets, and any existing planning before we meet. Completing it in advance allows us to spend our time together discussing strategy, answering questions, and designing a plan tailored to your family’s unique circumstances—instead of gathering basic information.
  • Optional Planning Consultation
    Many clients are comfortable selecting a planning package after the introductory call and move directly to the Design Meeting. Others prefer additional guidance before deciding whether to move forward. For those clients, we offer an optional Planning Consultation.

Planning Consultation

Optional

The Planning Consultation is designed for clients who would like a more in-depth discussion of their circumstances and the available planning options before deciding whether to retain the firm.

Once your questionnaire has been completed, we’ll schedule a Planning Consultation to explore your family’s unique circumstances and determine which planning approach best aligns with your goals.

During this consultation, we will:

  • Discuss your family situation and long-term objectives
  • Explain probate avoidance, incapacity planning, and asset protection concepts
  • Review the available planning options and service packages
  • Evaluate the advantages and tradeoffs of the various planning approaches
  • Answer any questions you may have about the planning process

By the conclusion of the consultation, you should have a clear understanding of your available options and which planning approach best aligns with your family’s goals, circumstances, and budget.

Design Meeting

Once you’ve decided to move forward, the next step is the Design Meeting.

For clients who participated in a Planning Consultation, the Design Meeting may be held immediately afterward or scheduled for a later date. Clients who choose to move forward directly after the introductory call will simply schedule the Design Meeting as the next step in the process.

The Design Meeting is where we thoughtfully design your estate plan.

During this meeting, we’ll work together to make the important decisions that will shape how your plan functions during your lifetime and how your assets will be managed and distributed in the future.

Topics may include:

  • Selection of successor trustees
  • Selection of financial and healthcare agents
  • Distribution provisions for children and other beneficiaries
  • Asset protection strategies
  • Trust administration preferences
  • Beneficiary designation planning
  • Additional planning features associated with your selected planning package

Every family is different, and the recommendations we discuss will reflect your unique goals, family dynamics, assets, and concerns.

Following the Design Meeting, we’ll prepare a written summary of the major planning decisions we discussed. You’ll have an opportunity to review that summary carefully and request any revisions before your estate planning documents are drafted.

Once the design has been finalized, we’ll begin preparing your estate planning documents and schedule your Signing Meeting.

Signing Meeting

The Signing Meeting takes place in person at our Fairfax office.

  • Plan Review & Document Signing
    During this meeting, we’ll review the key features of your estate plan, answer any remaining questions, and execute your documents in accordance with Virginia law.
  • Legal Effectiveness
    Once your documents have been signed, your estate plan becomes legally effective. For many firms, this is where the process ends. For us, it’s where implementation begins.
  • Asset Coordination
    Many people are surprised to learn that signing the documents is only one part of creating an effective estate plan. Proper coordination of assets, beneficiary designations, and property ownership is often what determines whether a plan functions as intended.
  • Implementation Guidance
    During the Signing Meeting, we’ll begin discussing the implementation process. I’ll provide both verbal and written guidance outlining the steps necessary to coordinate your assets with your estate plan, including trust funding, beneficiary designation planning, and property ownership considerations.
  • Understanding the Next Steps
    By the conclusion of the meeting, you’ll understand not only what your documents accomplish, but also the next steps necessary to help ensure your estate plan works in practice—not just on paper.

Estate Plan Review &
Implementation Meeting

After your Signing Meeting, our office will prepare your estate planning binder along with electronic PDF copies of your executed estate planning documents.

Your estate planning binder is designed to serve as the central resource for your plan and will include:

  • Your original signed estate planning documents
  • Organized reference materials
  • Trust funding and asset coordination guidance
  • Space for maintaining important estate planning and financial records

Once your Signing Meeting is complete, we’ll schedule your final meeting. This meeting serves two important purposes.

First, we will review your completed estate plan, explain how your binder is organized, and show you how to use it as an ongoing resource.

Second, because many clients begin updating beneficiary designations, retitling assets, and funding their trusts after the Signing Meeting, this meeting provides an opportunity to answer implementation questions and ensure everything is progressing as intended.

During this meeting, we’ll:

  • Review your completed estate planning binder
  • Discuss your trust funding and asset coordination progress
  • Answer implementation questions that have arisen
  • Review beneficiary designation planning and asset ownership considerations
  • Discuss additional information that should be maintained with your estate planning records
  • Explain simple steps for keeping your estate plan organized and current over time

The goal of this meeting is to help ensure that your estate plan is not only complete, but properly coordinated and implemented so it functions the way it was intended.

A Plan That Works in Practice—Not Just on Paper

An effective estate plan requires more than properly drafted legal documents. It requires thoughtful guidance, informed decision-making, and careful implementation.

Throughout this process, we’ll work together to:

  • Answer any questions you may have about the planning process
  • Understand your family’s unique circumstances, goals, and concerns
  • Evaluate the planning options available to you
  • Design an estate plan tailored to your family’s needs
  • Coordinate your assets, beneficiary designations, and ownership arrangements with your planning documents
  • Implement your plan so it functions as intended when you or your loved ones need it most

The result is more than a collection of legal documents. It is a thoughtfully designed and coordinated estate plan intended to protect the people you love, preserve your wishes, and provide clarity and confidence for the future.

Our goal is not simply to prepare documents. It is to serve as your trusted advisor throughout the planning process, helping you make informed decisions today so your family is well protected tomorrow.

Guidance You Can Trust. Protection You Can Count On

We look forward to helping you create an estate plan that protects the people you love and provides peace of mind for years to come.

The Manikas PLC Team

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