What company values do you feel resonate with your clients most?

We truly focus on helping clients make sure a complete plan is in place to protect their estate, make sure they understand the process and legal plan being set up, and make it as easy as possible for their family, rather than simply putting in place legal documents and that being the end of our role in their estate planning. Our relationship with our clients is continual.

What’s unique about your state and what do you think matters?

Colorado is not very explicit or straightforward with most of the probate and legal system in general, which can make it harder for clients to know what to expect. Colorado is not a community property state and has no state estate tax, which can make planning simpler for clients.

What do you like best about your community / clients in your area?

As a Colorado native, our clients feel like home to me and they are very grounded and focused on helping make things easier for their loved ones.

What do clients in your community ask the most questions about? What do people in Broomfield care about?

Clients ask me the most about probate, taxes, and how to easily pass on their homes.

A lot of our clients are super educated. They come in knowing all about beneficiaries and TODs and already have wills set up. They ask: What do we do with the home? How do we make our kids not have to go through probate? How do we minimize taxes?‍

They have questions about how they can get their homes passed on as easily as possible. For a lot of the clients, it's about getting a trust set up to help keep the house out of probate. They want to make it so that their kids won’t have to wait around to sell the house or deal with attorney's fees.

Our main focus is usually helping them get their house out of probate with a trust. Other times they'll have some different goals. Sometimes, they're in blended families and have a house that they purchased jointly. In these cases, they want to know, “How can I ensure my spouse lives here, but still give it to the kids when the time comes?” Another example is, if someone’s child is living in their basement because Denver is expensive, they’ll want to know how they can keep that child in the house without leaving the child with a tax issue.

There are different ways we can help with trust planning to make sure that their goals are achieved, regarding how their home is handled. We walk them through what taxes their families will be taking on versus the ones they don't have to worry about to ease their concerns.

Why is Oath right for your clients?

We specialize in estate planning and we’re experts in our field, having a national presence with many attorneys (with different areas of expertise) that will be here to help in the future.

What story do you tell at your workshops?

I tell the audience about my grandmother's Alzheimer's journey and her experience with nursing homes / memory care facilities, as well as my mother's experience administering her estate after she passed away and the difficulties that has caused for her.

What are the state specific documents that you prepare for clients, and why?

All of our documents have state-specific laws, but there aren’t additional documents for Colorado that you wouldn’t commonly see in other states.

The one that's the most unique for us in Colorado versus our other states is the financial power of attorney. Ours is very long in Colorado because it's not legally required here. We've had a lot of difficulty with local institutions not accepting the short-form ones or wanting super specific language. Consequently, our power of attorney is way longer than those in other states.

We're also not a community property state. Sometimes when I have clients moving from Texas or Arizona, I explain that there are differences from state to state.

A lot of people come to us with beneficiary deed questions because beneficiary deeds are allowed in Colorado, but not in every state. We go over whether to do a beneficiary deed or not, and whether their existing one is sufficient (if they already have one).

What do you estimate the longest possible probate is in your state?

On average we normally see probates resolved in approximately a year, but it is not unusual to see a 2+ year probate, especially if there is no will in place.

How much do you think the most expensive probate might cost in your state?

Formal probate can cost approximately $10,000 - $15,000, but far more if it is contested or there is no will. Informal probate in Colorado can be less expensive.

What do clients ask most at your workshops and how do you answer it?

They ask about the difference between a trust and a will and how to minimize taxes and expenses for their family. I focus on walking through how a will vs. the different types of trust will play out in their specific situation with their unique assets, family members, etc. so they can understand which makes the most sense for their family. I walk them through capital gains taxes, gift taxes, and estate taxes, to make sure they understand the different tax implications and ways to utilize these exemptions.

What are your three favorite communities that you visit on your workshop schedule?

Brighton, Loveland, and Thornton (which is my current hometown).

Have you ever had a client you couldn’t help because they reached out too late?

We have unfortunately had clients who pass away during the estate planning process before their documents have been finalized, which shows how important it is to plan ahead and not procrastinate.