I looked at approximately 6 companies to help set up a Trust & Will for my mother, including two that you do yourself on line. There were several reasons I chose Pacific Coast Trust. 1. They are definitely competitive price wise. 2. They have been in business quite a while. 3. They are local to me. 3. I did not want to do this myself, with such important documents. 5. Pacific Coast Trust makes house calls. Really, now Who does that anymore? This was very helpful, as mom cannot get around easily and does not like to leave the house.
I called, and made an appointment with Frank Kallmeyer to have him meet at our home and go over services, etc. and make suggestions. He sent me a list of what information he would need, to better know what I might need, I.e. Will, Trust, Power of Attorney, etc. The papers suggested that it be decided before hand as much as possible who else should be included in the Will, present to sign paperwork, witness, etc. The entire initial appointment was no more than 45 minutes. I knew pretty much what was needed, and there is not an enormous amount of assets. All options open to me and my mother were discussed. Frank got the information he needed to proceed, and made sure all questions we had were answered to our understanding and satisfaction.
It took several weeks to have the papers drawn up, which we were told about by Frank at our meeting so no surprise there. We (Mom & I ) were able to go over the information by phone, and confirm everything was correct. It then took about two more weeks for the papers to be drawn up, a pretty detailed process. I am very glad it was not left up to me, I would not have had either the time, knowledge or patience for that! When all was ready, Frank contacted me and set up a time convenient for us to meet at our home and finalize the documents. He had everything done in a very nice 3-ring book, with tabs to divide each section. He went over each one, from the Trust, the Will, Healthcare Directive, etc. Documents were notarized and made ready to file with proper agencies.
Follow up is wonderful, too. I called back several times with questions about documents, or something I did not know to ask at that time. All were answered promptly.
This is a difficult thing to think about. However, for anyone with spouses, children, parents, any loved ones, I personally feel that this is a necessary part of planning, just in case. It gives mom a great deal of peace of mind to know that Her wishes will be carried out the way She wants, and by her family, not a Judge in Probate Court or a Medical Board. The manner in which Pacific Coast Trust handled things all the way through lets me give them my highest recommendation to anyone needing this type of service. read more