Estate Planning Services and Fees

The Law Office of Patricia Felix is dedicated to delivering comprehensive Estate Planning services with transparent and fixed, all-inclusive flat rates. These rates include meetings and phone consultations to discuss details of your estate, mailing costs, draft modifications, notary services, and filing fees with your county probate court.  I understand that everyone’s situation is different. If my standard packages don’t quite fit your situation, we’ll work together to create a plan that suits your needs.

Before I start working on your estate planning documents, I require full payment of the fixed rate. Any unused fees will be kept in a trust account in accordance with Michigan rules until they are earned or a refund is determined. Our agreement will specify when attorney fees are considered earned and non-refundable. Your satisfaction is our priority as I guide you through this important process.

Estate Planning Packages

Simple Estate Plan

  • $550 Individual
  • $850 Couple

This estate plan allows you to direct the distribution of your probate estate through the probate process. It also allows you to designate the person you wish to make your final arrangements, those you wish to manage your property and financial affairs when you cannot or do not wish to do so. Finally, this plan enables you to provide directions for your health care when two medical doctors determine that you lack the capacity to do so yourself. In this plan, you also identify a trusted individual to serve as your patient advocate.

Includes:

  • Will
  • Funeral Representative Designation
  • Durable Power of Attorney for Property and Finances
  • Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Medical Directive
  • HIPAA Release

Basic Revocable Living Trust Estate Plan

  • $1,250 Individual
  • $1,750 Couple

This estate plan has all the benefits of the Simple Estate Plan, with the added significant advantages of avoiding probate, which saves time and money, provides you with more control over how and when your assets are distributed to beneficiaries after you die. A Pourover Will is needed to ensure that any assets not already transferred to the trust before you die are transferred to the trust after your death.

Includes (for each person):

  • Either a single Joint Revocable Living Trust (for married) or Individual Revocable Living Trust (for a single Individual)
  • Pourover Will
  • Certificate of Trust
  • Funeral Representative Designation
  • Durable Power of Attorney for Property and Finances
  • Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Medical Directive & HIPAA Release
  • Deed to Trust or Ladybird Deed to Successor Trustee for Primary Residence (if applicable); additional fees would apply for additional real property transfers
  • Guidance and Assistance in Funding Trust (Assistance including Real Property Transfers and recording fees, if applicable, would cost additional money depending on the number of properties to be transferred into the trust)

A La Carte Estate Planning Fees

  1. Simple Will: $250
  2. Will Codicil (Amendment to Will): $150
  3. Durable Power of Attorney for Property and Finances: $250
  4. Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Medical Directive: $250
  5. LadyBird Deed: $175+Recording Fees: 
  • In Michigan, a Ladybird Deed (also known as an Enhanced Life Estate) is a type of deed that allows the transfer of your real estate upon your death to a named beneficiary without having to go through probate, which can be expensive and time-consuming. Fee is for a Quitclaim Deed. The cost for a Ladybird Deed using a Warranty Deed will be more.
  1. Standalone Special Needs Trust: $500
  • Third-Party Special Needs Trust
    • A Special Needs Trust (SNT) for someone with a mental or physical disability is a powerful tool to preserve assets and guard a special needs beneficiary’s eligibility for public benefits. Without this important estate planning tool, an individual with special needs may be disqualified from receiving social security, supplemental security income, Medicare, or Medicaid if they inherit assets from your estate.
    • If the person creating a Third-Party SNT (typically a parent or guardian) does not have assets to immediately set aside for the special needs beneficiary or does not believe the assets intended for the SNT would be needed for use during the grantor’s lifetime, a testamentary trust may be the best option.
  • First-Party Special Needs Trust
    • If your loved one is disabled and is eligible for or receives Medicaid or SSI, you do not want to risk their losing those important benefits if they are awarded money or inherit money. A Self-Settled or (d)(4)(A) trust is funded with assets or income that belong to the disabled individual who is the beneficiary of the SNT. For assets of this type to not count for Medicaid or SSI purposes, federal law requires that the beneficiary must be under the age of 65 when the trust is created and funded, the trust must be irrevocable and provide that Medicaid will be reimbursed upon the beneficiary’s death or upon termination of the trust, whichever occurs first.
  1. Pet Trust: $350
  • A Pet Trust is a legally enforceable arrangement appointing a caregiver and trustee for companion animals in your family now or ones you anticipate having in the future. You create the trust now to hold property (typically cash) “in trust” for the benefit of your pets after you die or become incapacitated. The trust will continue for the life of your pet and would specify the care to be given (as specific as you want) and instruction for your pets end-of-life care. The trust would also designate a remainder beneficiary should your pet die before the funds in the trust are exhausted.
  1. Trust Amendment: $150