Are You Buying A Value Meal or Protection For Your Family?

dan • March 11, 2022

There are times when prioritizing speed and cost in a purchasing decision makes sense. I like to go to a really high-end steakhouse every now and then, and linger over a three-hour dinner, served slowly and prepared with great care. But not when I’m on a cross-country road trip. When I’m driving through western Iowa on the way to our annual Great Lakes vacation, the last thing I want to do is spend a lot of money or have to keep the kids entertained for hours while we wait for five different courses to slowly come out, even if the food is amazing.
There are, of course, situations where the opposite is true as well. My wife and I aren’t looking for a value menu or a guaranteed service time when we’re celebrating our anniversary. In fact, if we walked into a restaurant that boasted about either, we would immediately walk back out. Not only would it not be a selling point, but it would be a red flag.
So yes, there are times when low cost and high speed are positives and times when they are not. The question is which end of the spectrum should protecting yourself and your family from unanticipated emergencies fall on? Based on the marketing materials of some well-known websites that claim to protect your loved ones and give you peace of mind, saving time and money is critically important:

A newspaper article about protecting your loved ones with a legally binding will.

I, however, humbly suggest that you, your spouse, your kids, your pets, etc. are worth more than 15 minutes of your time and $89. The conversation about whether a will alone adequately addresses the concerns your loved ones would have if you suddenly weren’t able to perform your normal tasks and duties, and also how that will fits in with other estate planning decisions that you’ve made, such as how you have titled your propery, or who you have put on your designated beneficiary forms, is probably an hour-long conversation by itself. And there is so much more to creating a complete plan than that.
All of us are looking for ways to save money and time, but there are times when that’s appropriate and times when it’s not. To gain a proper understanding of all the concerns and issues an estate plan can and should cover, contact us . We pride ourselves on understanding our clients’ needs, properly addressing those needs, and ensuring that our clients understand how their plan works. We are also proud to say that we don’t compete on time and that assembling your plan will take a lot longer than 15 minutes. We assume you agree that your loved ones are worth it.

What Next?

If you think it might be time to think through your estate plan, you can:

Give us a call at 720-821-7604 to schedule a "Discovery Session" at which we can determine whether our firm would be a good fit for your needs. Or fill out our contact form to have us call you.
Visit our estate planning page to learn more about how proactively thinking through your estate plan can protect you and your family, minimize hassle, lower the chance of family discord, and minimize or eliminate taxes.
Get a copy of our estate planning checklist to see where you currently stand.
Learn more by reading our blog or watching our videos.

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What Happens to a Bank Account When Someone Dies in Colorado?

By Dan McKenzie • September 15, 2026

Losing a loved one is overwhelming, and many families are surprised to learn that financial matters can freeze instantly after a passing. When a person dies, their legal financial identity stops immediately. This means they can no longer hold property, sign agreements, or authorize payments. Even if you hold a power of attorney—a legal document allowing you to make decisions on someone’s behalf while they are alive—that authority ends the moment they pass away. Families across the Denver metro area are often caught off guard when trying to access funds to pay for immediate expenses.