“We’d put off a will for nine years because we pictured a weekend of paperwork. It was two video calls and one signing at our kitchen table.”
Laura and Ben K.Will plan, Beaverdale
Flat-fee estate planning in Des Moines and by video
Your estate plan, with the fee settled first
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and Medicaid planning, for people making their own plan and for grown children helping a parent. Every plan has one fee, in writing, before we draft a word.
20 min
Free first call1 fee
In writing, before we draft5 steps
From first call to funding2 ways
Video or our office
Recording and court filing fees are extra, at cost.
- One fee, in writingBefore any drafting
- Meet by videoOr on Ingersoll Avenue
- Sign where it suits youOur office or your home
- Family on the callIf the client says yes
Our fee covers our work. Recording, court filing and appraisal costs are billed at what they cost us.
Practice areas
Pick the plan, see what’s in it
Each practice area has its own page: what’s in the plan, how the fee works and what we’ll ask you for.
- For your own plan
Wills
A will that names who inherits, who’s in charge and who raises minor children, with the documents that go beside it.
What a will plan includesOne fee, for one person or a couple
- For your own plan
Living trusts
A revocable trust that keeps your house and accounts out of probate and lets someone you chose step in without a court.
How a trust plan worksOne fee, for one person or a couple
- For a parent
Powers of attorney
Financial and health care powers, so the person a parent trusts can pay the bills and talk to the doctors when the parent can’t.
Powers of attorney, explainedOne fee per person
- For a parent
Medicaid planning
A plan for paying for long-term care: what counts, what can be protected, and the application itself.
How Medicaid planning worksOne fee for the plan and the application
Virtual by default
Meet on a screen, sign at your own table
Most of a plan happens online. The one part that has to be in person, the signing, happens at our office or in your living room.
A free 20-minute call, by phone or video
An online questionnaire you can save and come back to
Drafts reviewed on screen with your attorney
A signing with witnesses and a notary, at our office or your home
Who comes to us
Planning your own, or helping a parent
About half our clients are making their own plan. The rest are grown children sorting out a parent’s. The documents overlap; the questions don’t.
You’re planning ahead
You want your wishes on paper and your family spared a court process. Start with a will or a trust; powers of attorney come with either.
Start with your own planWills and living trusts
Guardians named for minor children
Beneficiary forms checked against the plan
You’re helping a parent
A parent’s memory is slipping, or a care home is on the table. We meet your parent, with you on the call if they want, and work out what can still be signed and what care will cost.
Start with a parent’s planPowers of attorney while your parent can sign
Medicaid planning and the application
Your parent stays the client, with the final say
Notes from three families
“Dad lives in Pella and I’m in Minneapolis. Devesh sat with him in person, put me on the screen, and took us both through the Medicaid application.”
Priyanka S.Medicaid planning for her father
“The fee on the website was the fee on the bill. The deed putting our house in the trust was recorded the week after we signed.”
Gary T.Trust plan, Urbandale
Shared with permission. Every client’s situation is different, and these words don’t promise a result in yours.
Questions
What people ask before the first call
What does the flat fee cover?
Everything we do for the plan: the first call, the questionnaire review, drafting, changes before signing, the signing itself and a copy of every document. Recording and filing costs are extra, billed at what they cost us.
Do I ever have to come to the office?
No. Meetings are by video or phone. The signing needs witnesses and a notary, so we hold it at our office or bring both to your home in the Des Moines area. Further away, we arrange a signing near you.
Can I book a plan for my parent?
You can start the conversation, but your parent is the client. We talk with them, alone for part of the meeting, to be sure the plan is what they want. You can join every other call if they agree.
What if my parent’s memory is already slipping?
Many people with an early diagnosis can still sign a will or a power of attorney. We meet your parent and judge that with them. If signing isn’t possible, we explain the court options and point you to a lawyer who handles them.
Is the first call free?
Yes. It’s 20 minutes to find the plan that fits. If you go ahead, we send an engagement letter with the fee before any work starts.
Start with a 20-minute call
Tell us whose plan it is and what’s on your mind. We’ll say which plan fits and what it costs before you commit to anything.