The Process of Working with Us
Step 1: Peace of Mind Planning Session
Schedule your session by phone, email, or through our website. During this working meeting, we discuss your family, your assets, and your goals. We explain your options, including wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, along with the pros, cons, and costs of each. There is no obligation to proceed.
Step 2: Design Your Plan
If you decide to move forward, you sign an engagement letter outlining exactly what we will prepare and the total flat fee. We then work with you to design the details: who serves as executor, trustee, and agent under your power of attorney; who inherits, and how; and any special provisions your family needs.
Step 3: Review Your Documents
We draft your plan and send it to you for review, and we schedule a document review meeting, in person, virtually, or by phone. We revise until every document is exactly as you want it.
Step 4: Signing Ceremony
We meet one final time to review your plan together and execute your documents. If your plan includes a trust, we will walk you through transferring your assets into it. Your original documents will be given to you at the ceremony. If we are working remotely, the ceremony will be changed accordingly.
You are welcome to return annually for a complimentary review of your plan.
GETTING STARTED IS EASY
How to get started today
Getting started can all be handled online via our client portal.
(I know how hectic life can be, so we can handle as much as you like over Zoom or in person at our office.)
Watch our pre-recorded webinar
If you are ready to learn more right now – you can. Watch our pre-recorded webinar.
Book a Peace of Mind Planning Session
If you know you are ready to get your estate plan in place, book a one on one PMPS Session with Nicole.
Benefits of the Planning Meeting
Get started with the first step toward peace of mind today!
Confidence
Gain peace of mind about the future by discovering whether a will or trust estate plan suits your needs best. Our top priority is to educate you on these options in clear, understandable terms, free from legal jargon.
Knowledge
Gain clarity on essential aspects of estate planning such as wills and trusts, the probate process, and the advantages and considerations of various estate planning options tailored to your circumstances.
Reflection
Gain clarity on essential aspects of estate planning such as wills and trusts, the probate process, and the advantages and considerations of various estate planning options tailored to your circumstances.
Connection
Consult with an attorney who prioritizes your best interests and possesses expertise in handling estate planning, wills, trusts, and business succession planning rather than relying on impersonal online legal form generators.
Why Should You Hire Will and Trust Planning?
Planning for the future, whether that means preparing for end-of-life decisions, potential incapacity, or the seamless transfer of your assets, is one of the most meaningful steps you can take for your family. At Will and Trust Planning, our experienced estate planning attorney guides you through every step with clarity and compassion, turning a complex process into a confident, stress-free plan built specifically for your life.
Comprehensive Estate Planning Services in Vermont serving all Vermont towns and counties
We specialize in crafting personalized estate plans, including wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and business succession plans, that reflect your actual circumstances, not a one-size-fits-all template. Every family is different, and your estate plan should be too.
Our Peace of Mind Planning Sessions: Where Every Plan Begins
Most estate plans fail not because of bad legal documents, but because they were never designed to align with the client's real goals. Our Peace of Mind Planning Sessions start with a genuine conversation about what you own, who you want to protect, and what keeps you up at night.
We listen first. Your plan follows — not the other way around.
We Craft Custom Estate Plans for Families Facing Real Challenges:
• Families with a child with special needs — protecting eligibility for SSI, Medicaid, and other government benefits through a Special Needs Trust.
• Business owners — ensuring a family-owned business passes smoothly without probate, sibling disputes, or forced sales to cover estate taxes.
• Parents concerned about a child's substance abuse — using discretionary trusts and independent trustees to protect assets from misuse.
• Blended families — clearly defining inheritance rights across children from prior relationships to prevent conflict, litigation, and accidental disinheritance.
• High-net-worth individuals — implementing estate tax planning strategies to preserve generational wealth.
• Parents of spendthrift children — structuring trusts that provide long-term financial protection rather than a lump-sum inheritance.
Our Estate Planning Process: Simple, Transparent, and Client-Centered
After our initial conversation, we educate you on all available options, explaining the advantages and trade-offs of each in plain language, not legal jargon. Together, we develop a plan that fits your family structure, your assets, and your goals. No pressure. No unnecessary complexity. Just a clear, legally sound estate plan you can feel confident about.
Start with a Conversation — Not a Form
Skilled Estate Planning In Vermont
Experience is integral to building a successful Estate Planning practice. At Will and Trust Planning, Vermont residents find the knowledgeable legal counsel and representation they need in an Estate Planning attorney.
We understand Probate, Wills, Trusts, and Estate Planning law. With outstanding legal expertise, pragmatic solutions, and a commitment to professional integrity, Will and Trust Planning is dedicated to achieving optimal outcomes in the following areas of practice:
- Estate Planning
- Wills
- Trusts
- Estate Tax Planning
- Estate Planning For Parents
- Health Care Directives
- Powers Of Attorney
- Enhanced Life Estate Deeds
- Estate Planning For College
- Planning For A Disabled Family Member
- Business Succession
- Asset Protection Planning
What is included in a comprehensive estate plan?
A comprehensive estate plan typically includes a last will and testament, a revocable living trust, a durable financial power of attorney, a healthcare power of attorney, and an advance healthcare directive (living will). Depending on your situation, it may also include special-needs trusts, substance-abuse protection trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), or business succession agreements.
Do I need a trust or just a will?
Whether a trust is right for you depends on your assets, your family situation, and your goals. A will alone requires your estate to pass through probate, a public and sometimes lengthy court process. A revocable living trust allows assets to transfer privately and without court involvement. During your Peace of Mind Planning Session, we will explain which option best fits your circumstances.
What happens if I die without an estate plan?
Dying without a will or trust (called dying "intestate") means state law determines how your assets are distributed, which may not reflect your wishes. Your estate will pass through probate, which is public, time-consuming, and costly. A proper estate plan ensures your assets go to the right people, in the right way, at the right time.
What is a trust, and how does it work in Vermont?
A trust is a legal arrangement in which one person, the settlor, transfers property to another person or institution, the trustee, to manage for the benefit of one or more beneficiaries. The settlor, trustee, and beneficiary can be the same person in many configurations, with one critical exception noted below.
Trusts created during the settlor's lifetime are called inter vivos or living trusts. Trusts that take effect only at death under the terms of a will are called testamentary trusts. Within those categories, trusts may be revocable or irrevocable, charitable or non-charitable, and structured for a wide range of specific purposes.
For more than 30 years, Attorney Nicole McPhee has assisted clients throughout all 14 counties in preparing for end-of-life scenarios and potential incapacity, safeguarding themselves, their assets, and their loved ones. She received her B.S from the University of New England in 1990, her J.D. from Western New England School of Law in 1994, and was admitted to the Vermont Bar in 1996. She is a member of the Vermont Bar Association and the Rutland County Bar Association. She is a past member of Rutland South Rotary and the Rutland Regional Medical Center Patient Advisory Board, and she spent many years on the Rutland Town School Board.
Will and Trust Planning provides services in all 14 counties. In-person meetings are available in Rutland. Secure Zoom meetings are available statewide.
Rutland County: Rutland, Brandon, Castleton, Poultney, Middletown Springs
• Chittenden County: Burlington, South Burlington, Williston, Shelburne, Essex Junction, Winooski
• Windsor County: White River Junction, Woodstock, Springfield, Windsor, Ludlow, Hartland
• Bennington County: Bennington, Manchester, Arlington, Shaftsbury
• Windham County: Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Newfane, Wilmington
• Addison County: Middlebury, Vergennes, Bristol
• Washington County: Montpelier, Barre, Waterbury, Berlin
• Orange County: Chelsea, Bradford, Randolph
• Lamoille County: Morrisville, Stowe, Hyde Park
• Orleans County: Newport, Derby, Barton
• Caledonia County: St. Johnsbury, Lyndonville
• Franklin County: St. Albans, Swanton
• Grand Isle County:
• Essex County: Guildhall, Island Pond
Contact Will And Trust Planning For A Peace Of Mind Planning Session Now
Will-Based Estate Planning
Will-based estate planning is based on a crucial legal document designed to provide clear directives to the probate court and your loved ones regarding the administration of your estate upon your passing. This document, known as a Will, outlines who will oversee your estate and appoints guardians for your minor children. A Will-based plan encompasses a comprehensive suite of related documents to safeguard your family's well-being in the event of your incapacity.
Trust-Based Estate Planning
Trust-based estate planning revolves around establishing a legal entity crafted to hold, oversee, and distribute assets to designated beneficiaries according to your wishes. The cornerstone of this strategy is a revocable living trust administered by you as the trustmaker during your lifetime and by a successor Trustee after your passing. Additionally, tailored trusts can be created to fulfill specific planning goals.
Business, Estate Tax & Charitable Giving Consulting
Guidance on business strategies and tax planning essential for business succession and charitable donations. Entrepreneurs receive support with entity formation, operational strategies, and compliance.
Download a free copy of
8 Estate Planning Must-Haves for Families
OR
Aging and Estate Planning:
What You Need to Know
