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Take control of your legacy and provide lasting peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones.
Comprehensive virtual estate planning services in California
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“Estate Planning is an
important and everlasting gift
you can give your family”

About

Hi, I’m Natalie!

I’m an attorney in Southern California passionate about building generational wealth and protecting it through estate planning.  I bring over 18 years of experience as a California-licensed attorney.

Estate planning is a crucial, yet often missed step, that not only safeguards your assets but also saves your family from the complexities, heartbreak, and stress of court processes after you are gone.

When I lost my dad unexpectedly, I was so grateful to him that he had his estate plan in place, making it easy for me to carry out his legacy exactly as he wished.  I realized how crucial having a proper estate plan is to preserving a family’s legacy.  This inspired me to help others build, plan, and protect their family legacy, ultimately leading to the launch of Tera Legacy Planning.

I’m a mom to two active young boys.  I love spending time with my family, planning trips, and making memories.  I strive for excellence and value relationships and transparency. I look forward to helping you plan for your family’s legacy.

Services

Comprehensive Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts

Estate planning is the cornerstone of your securing your future and protecting your loved ones.  It ensures your wishes are honored, your assets are safeguarded and your legacy continues for generations.  From wills and trusts to advanced tax planning, we help guide you through every step of the process, so you can make informed decisions with confidence. 

Power of Attorney / Healthcare Directive

A Power of Attorney and Healthcare Directive are essential to ensure your financial and medical decisions are handled according to your wishes, especially when you’re unable to make them yourself.  It’s peace of mind for you and your loved ones.

Guardianship Designations

Guardianship designations are vital for ensuring that your children or dependents are cared for by the people you trust the most when you are no longer able to provide that care yourself.  It’s a proactive step to protect their future and provide lasting peace of mind.

“Estate Planning isn’t about you…
It’s about the people you love the most”

Process

“We make Estate Planning simple and convenient.”

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Estate Plan Design Meeting

Tailored Document and Plan Creation

Review, Finalize, and Sign

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What to expect at our initial Legacy Planning Consultation

  • I will answer all of your questions and listen as you share your goals, concerns, and objectives.
  • I will map out your options including a Will versus a Trust, so you can make educated, informed decisions about what is best for your family.
  • I will thoroughly review our process and transparent flat fee pricing so you know exactly how much your investment will be and how long it will take.
  • Then, if we decide we're a good fit to work together, we'll discuss next steps. And if not, that's fine too!
  • Either way, you will leave our session clearer than ever before about what you really need (and really don't need!) to protect your family and assets.

FAQ

We have an easy, 3-step process designed to have your trust and other estate planning documents created and signed in 6-8 weeks:


* The first step is to attend your Legacy Planning Session. Prior to the session, you will fill out a secure online questionnaire (“Family Legacy Profile”) before we meet so we can make the best use of our time together.  At this Zoom session, we’ll go over the questionnaire and talk about your concerns and objectives.  I will answer your questions and we’ll review your options and our flat fees.  When you are ready to move forward, we’ll email you an engagement letter and invoice, both of which can be executed online.


* Next is your Estate Plan Design Meeting. We’ll roll up our sleeves and design your trust and other estate planning documents, working off the information you provided in your Family Legacy Profile. After this session, we’ll draft your documents, and send a copy for your review about two weeks later. We’ll then make any changes or updates you’d like to make. When everything is good to go, we’ll coordinate a Signing Ceremony.


*Your Signing Ceremony is where you’ll sign your documents with the proper legal formalities, in front
of two witnesses and a notary in the comfort of your home.

Following the execution of the documents, we are available for follow-up consultations regarding your estate plan.

The Legacy Planning Session is a chance for us to get to know each other, to review your goals and
objectives, and talk about your options. It’s very important to me that you feel heard and have your
questions answered. We’ll also review our process, flat fees, and overall client experience so you know
exactly what you are getting and what the investment will be.

When you are ready to move forward, whether at your Legacy Planning Session, or later, let me know. We’ll send you an engagement letter via AdobeSign and an invoice via our secure online payment provider, LawPay. Once these housekeeping items are taken care of, you’ll schedule your Estate Plan Design Meeting.
Our process is designed to have your estate planning documents signed within 6-8 weeks from your Legacy Planning Session. It depends in part on your schedule and how long it takes for you to review your draft documents.
Let me start by saying what we do NOT need! We do NOT need account statements, social security numbers, or tax returns. We DO need information on what kind of assets you own (house, retirement account, life insurance, etc.), their relative value, and how they are titled (jointly, individually, etc.) Beyond that, we simply need answers to questions about your personal estate planning preferences, including:

* Who you would want raising your minor children if something happened to you and your spouse or partner
* Who you want to be in charge of your children’s money until they are old enough to manage it themselves
* Who you want making medical and financial decisions for you in the event of your incapacity

Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers to these questions right away! You’ll have plenty of time to think things over throughout the process.
We take on a limited clientele each month so we can offer a high level of service to each family. We work with people who value our advice and are seeking a long-term working relationship. If you are looking for the cheapest attorney you can find, do not want to devote time to learning about and understanding your options, or do not feel comfortable completing the Family Profile before our session, we are not the right law firm for you and would be happy to refer you to a lawyer who may be a better fit.
Yes, we only take California residents as clients in our estate planning practice to ensure that your estate plan aligns with California state laws and regulations. Estate planning laws are state-specific and we specialize in the legal requirements and nuances specific to California.
You have two options with your estate planning: a will-based plan, or a living trust-based plan. The vast majority of my clients choose a living trust. A living trust is a document where you appoint a chosen individual to manage your assets should you become incapacitated and distribute them to your family at your death. It is almost always preferable to a will because it is designed to avoid the time, expense, and publicity of probate, which a will cannot avoid.

It comes as a surprise to many of my clients that wills do not avoid probate court…they guarantee it!

I go over the difference between a will and a living trust in depth during the Peace of Mind Planning Session. The most common question I get at the end of this session is, “Why would anybody ever do a will?!” Ultimately, however, the decision is yours.
Probate is the court-supervised process of administering your estate upon your death. If you die without a will, your estate must go through probate before all your money can be distributed to your heirs. And if you die WITH a will…your estate still has to go through probate! The only way to avoid probate is with a revocable living trust.

What’s so bad about probate? Even a simple probate can take years to complete and eats up as much as 5-7% of the estate assets in the meantime. It’s also a public proceeding that makes your will available to anybody who wants to look at it.

Although a will is subject to the probate process, a living trust is designed to bypass it completely.
Unfortunately, even a simple will is still subject to the expense and delays of probate. It’s not the complexity of the document itself that causes the time and expense, it’s the probate process itself. For this reason, most of my clients choose to create a living trust instead of a will, which is designed for simplicity and to avoid the probate process completely.

However, as part of an overall, comprehensive estate plan, a special “pour-over” will is used to appoint guardians for any minor children alive at the time of your death.
A power of attorney lets you appoint someone to manage your property in the event of your incapacity. You will name someone you trust implicitly as your “agent”. They will step into your shoes and pay your bills, file your taxes, manage your business, etc. if you cannot.

We include a power of attorney for both spouses in every estate plan we create.

An advanced health care directive allows you to appoint someone you trust to manage your medical decisions should you be unable to do so. This is California’s version of a living will (not to be confused with a living trust or last will and testament) and allows you to make certain medical decisions regarding end-of-life decisions, ahead of time.

We include an advanced health care directive for both spouses in every estate plan we create.

You nominate legal guardians in a Nomination of Guardianship and/or a Will that goes along with your Revocable Living Trust. If you pass away without nominating guardians, a judge will make the decision for you. You also run the risk that family members will fight over who gets custody because you didn’t make your preference clear. We will also help you nominate short-term guardians to care for your children in the interim while the long-term guardians are appointed.
Yes! In some ways, you need estate planning MORE than married people. Many non-married individuals want to leave their money to charities and friends, not their closest living relatives. Unfortunately, if you die without getting this in writing, your estate could end up in the hands of that distant cousin you’ve met twice. And it’s important for everyone to have a Health Care Proxy and Financial Power of Attorney.
You can. Keep in mind that LegalZoom and law firms are two different things. They provide two different services. This is why the cost is different. LegalZoom offers form documents you fill out and execute yourself. They are not a law firm and do not give legal advice. An attorney, on the other hand, counsels you and gives you legal advice based on your specific circumstances. They will customize your documents, ensure they are signed with the proper formalities, and pick up the phone when you call with questions. If these things are important to you, you should work with an attorney. If they are not, LegalZoom may be a better option.
“Leave no doubt about your wishes. 
Take the steps today to protect the future for your loved ones”

Contact

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We’d love to hear from you and help you secure your legacy.  Schedule a Tera Legacy Planning Consultation with Natalie below.
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