Why do some estate planning attorneys charge more than others?

Usually because the higher fee includes work the lower fee leaves to you. The biggest piece is funding: retitling your home and accounts into the trust and recording the deed. Without it, a trust can't avoid probate. Higher fees also tend to pay for a defined process, a team instead of one attorney, and someone who answers when you call after the signing.

Is it a flat fee or hourly?

Flat fee. You get one number before we start, covering whichever documents your plan needs. There's no hourly billing for phone calls or questions, and no separate bill later for the funding work.

What's included in the fee?

The Vision Consultation, the design of your plan, the signing and the funding. Funding means we move your home and accounts into your trust, record your deed with the county and confirm in writing that your plan is done. You also get a client portal where you can see where your plan stands at every step.

When will I know what my plan costs?

At your Vision Consultation. Our Customer Success team asks what you're protecting and who you're protecting it for, then lays out the options that fit, with the price for each, before you decide anything. There's no cost and no obligation for the first call.

Can I do the whole thing without coming to the office?

Yes. Every meeting can happen by secure video, including the signing and the notary. That works for families anywhere in Michigan, and for clients who live in another state, such as Pennsylvania, as long as they have property or family in Michigan.

How Much Does an Estate Plan Cost in Michigan?

There isn't one price for an estate plan, because there isn't one estate plan. A couple who needs a will and powers of attorney is buying something very different from a couple who needs a funded living trust, a Lady Bird deed on the house and protection from nursing home costs.

At Rutkowski Law Firm, every plan is one flat fee, quoted before we start. You hear the number at your Vision Consultation, along with what it covers, before you decide anything. There's no hourly meter running while you ask questions, and no second bill later for the work that makes the plan function.

We don't publish a price range, because a range that covers both a single deed and an asset protection trust doesn't tell you much. The useful number is yours. A Vision Consultation takes about an hour, and you leave knowing exactly what your plan needs and what it will cost. You can meet in Troy or Rochester, or by video if you mainly want the number.

What Changes the Price of an Estate Plan

A few things move the number more than anything else:

Will or trust. A will-based plan costs less to build. A living trust costs more, because it has to be drafted and then funded, and it keeps your family out of probate court.
Your home. Retitling the house into a trust or recording a Lady Bird deed is real work with the county, and it's part of the fee.
Single or married. A couple's plan has to work for both of you, in either order.
Nursing home protection. If you want to protect your home and savings from long-term care costs, the plan is built differently, and that's reflected in the price.
A business, a blended family or a family member with special needs. Situations that don't fit a template take more design work.

What Other Options Charge for a Trust or a Deed

Prices for the same-sounding plan vary widely, and the difference is usually how much of the work is included.

Online services. Online trust plans are advertised from about $500. You get the documents and a guide. Moving your home and accounts into the trust, and recording the deed, are left to you.
Firms that only draft. Many law firms quote a lower fee for drafting the trust, then hand you a funding checklist and send you to the bank.
Rutkowski Law Firm. Our fee is often higher, especially for trusts and deeds, because it includes the filing and the funding. We move your home and accounts into your trust, record your deed with the county Register of Deeds and confirm in writing that your plan is done.

A deed only does its job once the county has recorded it. When you compare quotes for a Lady Bird deed or a trust, ask whether the price covers recording the deed, or only drafting it.

Why Some Estate Planning Firms Cost More

When two firms quote very different prices for an estate plan, they usually aren't offering the same thing at different margins. The higher fee is paying for work and support the lower fee leaves out. Here's what Rutkowski Law Firm's fee covers.

The plan gets funded, not just drafted

A living trust only avoids probate if your assets are actually in it. Most firms hand you the trust and a checklist and send you to the bank. That's the step families most often never finish, and an unfunded trust sends the family right back to probate court.

We do that work for you. We move your home and accounts into your trust, record your deed with the county register of deeds, and confirm in writing that your plan is done. The binder doesn't leave our office until those steps are finished. Read more about what happens when a trust is never funded.

A clear process, from the first call to the finished plan

Every plan follows the same four steps, and our team stays with you through all of them:

Vision Consultation. Our Customer Success team asks what you're protecting and who you're protecting it for, then lays out the options that fit, with the price for each.
Design. Our attorneys and paralegals, led by founding attorney Michael L. Rutkowski, build the plan around your family, your property and your accounts.
Signing. At our Troy or Rochester office, or through our secure virtual signing process.
Funding. We move your assets into the trust, record the deeds and deliver the finished documents.

You can see where your plan stands at any time

You get your own client portal. Log in and you can see exactly which step your plan is on, what's done and what's next, without calling to ask. It's the difference between wondering and knowing.

When you call, a person answers

During office hours, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a real person picks up most calls, not a phone menu. Our Customer Success team handles your questions, so you aren't waiting for an attorney's callback to find out something simple. If you're calling us for the first time after hours, our answering service picks up. If you're already a client, leave a message and your team will call you back the next business day.

A team behind your plan, not one attorney's calendar

Your plan is handled by attorneys, paralegals and a Customer Success team working together. If one person is out, your plan doesn't stop. When a situation falls outside a standard plan, there's attorney backup to handle it.

Meet in person, or from anywhere

You can meet in person at our Troy or Rochester office and have your children join by video from wherever they live, including out of state. That matters when one child lives nearby and another is across the country, and you want everyone hearing the same plan at the same time.

If you live farther away, you can do the whole thing by secure video, from the first meeting through the signing, including the notary. That works for families anywhere in Michigan, and for families in another state, say Pennsylvania, as long as they have property or family in Michigan.

We stay after the signing

A plan gets tested when something goes wrong: a stroke, a fall, a nursing home admission. When a parent was in crisis, Rutkowski Law Firm has turned around emergency powers of attorney by the next day, with a notary sent to the hospital. We're still here when your health changes, when you have a question five years from now, or when the plan needs updating.

Your plan is coordinated with your other advisors

We work with your CPA and financial advisor so your estate plan and your money are moving in the same direction. Rutkowski Law Firm also works alongside its sister company, Rutkowski Financial Planning, for families who want their estate plan and financial plan built by people who talk to each other.

What a Lower-Priced Plan Usually Leaves Out

When you compare quotes, ask each firm the same questions:

Who retitles my house and accounts into the trust? Me or you?
Who records the deed, and will you confirm it came back from the county?
How will I know where my plan stands while it's being built?
If I call with a question after signing, is that billed?
What happens if my attorney is out sick or leaves the firm?
Can my children join the meetings from out of state?

A lower quote that leaves funding to you isn't the same plan for less money. It's half the plan.

When a Lower Price Is the Right Call

We'd rather say this plainly. If your situation is simple, with modest assets and no home or long-term care concerns, and you're comfortable retitling your own accounts, a lower-priced plan may be all you need. Rutkowski Law Firm's fee is for families who want the plan finished for them, a clear view of where it stands and a team to call when life changes.

What an Estate Plan Costs Compared With Probate

The useful comparison isn't one firm's quote against another's. It's the cost of a plan against the cost of not having a working one. Probate typically costs a family three to ten percent of the estate's value in court costs, attorney fees and personal representative fees, and it can take months. Read more about how probate avoidance works.

How to Get Your Price

Schedule a Vision Consultation or call 248-792-9193. We'll learn what you're protecting and who you're protecting it for, then show you the options that fit and the flat fee for each, before you decide anything.